Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 17.7% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
be 37.9% less likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.4 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 96.5% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 55.3% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 13.5% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 96.9% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
have 40.4% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 Saudi Arabia, 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 53.4% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 52.4% less on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.7% less coastline
Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 61.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 87.2% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
find 84.4% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
use 92.8% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.1% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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 (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.