Compare
Iran vs Syria
How Iran and Syria compare on 36 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Iran was higher: 77.7 years against 72.1 years
- GDP per person · In 2022, Iran was higher: $5,465 against $717
- Population · In 2023, Iran was higher: 90.6 million people against 23.6 million people
- Military spending · In 2010, Syria was higher: 4.06% of GDP against 2.79% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, Iran was higher: 9.05 tonnes against 1.28 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023Syria: 72.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024Syria: 1.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Syria: 16.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017Syria: 3.58% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Syria: 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023Syria: 23.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023Syria: 4.92% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023Syria: 2.71 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIran: 77.4% in 2025Syria: 72.1% in 2025
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023Syria: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023Syria: 4.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Syria: 32.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025Syria: 4.06% of GDP in 2010
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025Syria: $110 in 2011
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025Syria: 13.6% of government spending in 2010
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020Syria: 269,000 people in 2020
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022Syria: 0.29% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020Syria: 5.44% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024Syria: 2 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025Syria: 30 million TIV in 2010
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time