Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
be 96.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Kenya, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 8.7 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 5.3 times more doctors per person
Kenya has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 20.8% more access to essential health services
Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 87.1% less likely to die by suicide
Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 55.4% less spent on your healthcare
Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 55.3% less money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 86.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 149.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.3% more likely to be literate
In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In Syria, it is 94.4% as of 2021.
be 48.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 34.2 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.
have 14.1% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 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 16.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% 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 33.2% more likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
be 43.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
Expenditures
spend 37.7% less on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.0% less coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
use 4.4 times more electricity
Kenya uses 195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.7 times more strain on fresh water
Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kenya vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.