Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
live 1.7 years longer
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 7.2 times more doctors per person
Cambodia has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 10.3% more access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 86.9% less likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.7 times more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 65.0% less spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 52.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
be 5.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cambodia, 16.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Syria, however, that number is 82.5% as of 2014.
make 63.2% less money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 85.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.3% more likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Syria, it is 94.4% as of 2021.
have 14.0% more children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 94% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 32.0% less likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 41.3% less on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 56.4% less coastline
Cambodia has a total of 443 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 16.7% more likely to be murdered
Cambodia has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Syria, that number is 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2010.
be 59.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 65.3% more home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 119.6 times more strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
Environment
be 38.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.5% more CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.