Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
be 11.0% less likely to be obese
In Brunei, 37.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
be 80.7% less likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.9 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 93.5% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 19.4% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 17.9% less access to essential health services
Brunei scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 96.7% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 44.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
have 73.7% more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Brunei, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 51.6% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 21.5% more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 19.9% more coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 4.2 times more likely to be murdered
Brunei has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Syria, that number is 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2010.
be 8.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 67.6% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 35.8 times more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 92.0% less electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.7% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.