Basic Country Facts

People Population: 15,608,648 (July 1996 est.) note: in addition, there are 31,300 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 16,500 Arabs (15,000 Druze and 1,500 Alawites) and 14,800 Israeli settlers (August 1995 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 47% (male 3,738,671; female 3,557,474) 15-64 years: 50% (male 4,013,355; female 3,843,466) 65 years and over: 3% (male 227,249; female 228,433) (July 1996 est.) Population growth rate: 3.37% (1996 est.) Birth rate: 39.56 births/1,000 population (1996 est.) Death rate: 5.86 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female all ages: 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.) Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.13 years male: 65.94 years female: 68.38 years (1996 est.) Total fertility rate: 5.91 children born/woman (1996 est.) Nationality: noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian Ethnic divisions: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7% Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo) Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French widely understood Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 70.8% male: 85.7% female: 55.8%