Demographics of Syria Information
The roughly 26 million inhabitants of Syria are an overall indigenous Levantine people. While modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history, they are, in fact, largely a blend of the various Aramaic speaking groups indigenous to the region who were Arabized when Muslim Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula arrived and settled following the Arab expansion. During colonial years, the region had a fairly large minority of French settlers. Many of them stepped out after the recognition of Syrian independence, but their influence is still evident on fluency of French by the educated class in Syria. Syria's population is 74% Sunni Muslim(includes Turks and most Kurds), and 16% other Muslim groups, including the Alawi, Shi'a, and Druze, and 10% Christian, with a Syrian Jewish community of a few dozen.
1,500 people of Greek descent live in Syria. The majority of them are Syrian citizens.[1]
Arabic is the official, and most widely spoken, language. Arabic speakers, including some 400,000 Palestinians, make up 85% of the population. Many educated Syrians also speak English or French, but English is more widely understood. The Kurds, many of whom speak Kurdish, make up 9% [2] of the population and live mostly in the northeast corner of Syria, though sizable Kurdish communities live in most major Syrian cities as well. Armenian and Turkmen are spoken among the small Armenian and Turkmen populations respectively. Neo-Aramaic is still used by Assyrians and in some villages in the Anti-Lebanon mountains.
Sixty percent of the population live in the province of Aleppo, the Euphrates valley or along the coastal plain; a fertile strip between the coastal mountains and the desert. Overall population density is about 118.3/km² (306.5 per sq. mi.) Education is free and compulsory from ages 6 to 11. Schooling consists of 6 years of primary education followed by a 3-year general or vocational training period and a 3-year academic or vocational program. The second 3-year period of academic training is required for university admission. Total enrollment at post-secondary schools is over 150,000. The literacy rate of Syrians aged 15 and older is 86.0% for males and 73.6% for females.[3]
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Vital statistics
UN estimates[4]
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR1 | CDR1 | NC1 | TFR1 | IMR1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-1955 | 187 000 | 75 000 | 112 000 | 51.2 | 20.5 | 30.6 | 7.23 | 180.1 |
| 1955-1960 | 212 000 | 77 000 | 136 000 | 50.1 | 18.1 | 32.0 | 7.38 | 150.5 |
| 1960-1965 | 241 000 | 76 000 | 165 000 | 48.5 | 15.3 | 33.3 | 7.54 | 121.8 |
| 1965-1970 | 275 000 | 74 000 | 201 000 | 46.8 | 12.5 | 34.2 | 7.56 | 98.8 |
| 1970-1975 | 322 000 | 70 000 | 252 000 | 46.3 | 10.1 | 36.2 | 7.54 | 77.3 |
| 1975-1980 | 373 000 | 69 000 | 304 000 | 45.4 | 8.3 | 37.0 | 7.32 | 63.1 |
| 1980-1985 | 417 000 | 66 000 | 351 000 | 42.8 | 6.7 | 36.1 | 6.77 | 49.9 |
| 1985-1990 | 440 000 | 61 000 | 379 000 | 38.4 | 5.3 | 33.1 | 5.87 | 36.2 |
| 1990-1995 | 441 000 | 58 000 | 383 000 | 33.3 | 4.3 | 28.9 | 4.80 | 26.1 |
| 1995-2000 | 447 000 | 58 000 | 389 000 | 29.7 | 3.8 | 25.8 | 3.96 | 20.8 |
| 2000-2005 | 451 000 | 62 000 | 389 000 | 26.2 | 3.6 | 22.6 | 3.39 | 17.4 |
| 2005-2010 | 465 000 | 69 000 | 396 000 | 23.9 | 3.5 | 20.4 | 3.10 | 15.0 |
| 1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births | ||||||||
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
Demographics of Syria, Data of FAO, year 2007 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[5]
Population
22,530,746 (July 2012 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years: 35.2% (male 4,066,109/female 3,865,817) 15–64 years: 61% (male 6,985,067/female 6,753,619) 65 years and older: 3.8% (male 390,802/female 456,336) (2011 est.)
Median age
total 21.9 years male 21.7 years female 22.1 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.797% (2012 est.)
Birth rate
23.52 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Death rate
3.67 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
Net migration rate
-27.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and older: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 71.19 years male: 69.8 years female: 72.68 years (2009 est.)
Nationality
noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian
Ethnic groups
Arabs 90%, other ethnic groups such as Kurds 9%, Armenians , Circassians, and Syrian Turkmen 1% [2]
Religions
Sunni Muslim 74% (includes Turks and most Kurds), Shia Muslim (predominantly Alawites but also including others such as Ismailis) 13%, Christian (various Churches) 10%, Druze 3%.[6][7]
Languages
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Turkmen, Neo-Aramaic, and Armenian.
Literacy
definition: age 30 and older can read and write total population: 79.6% male: 86.0% female: 73.6% (2004 census)
Urbanization
urban population 56% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization 2.5% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major cities - population
Aleppo 2.985 million Damascus (capital) 2.527 million Homs 1.276 million Hama 854,000 (2009)
- See also : Syria
References
- ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ a b US Department of State. Background Note: Syria
- ^ [1]
- ^ World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
- ^ The World Factbook - Syria
- ^ https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sy.html#People
- ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71432.htm
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