If you lived in Albania instead of Syria, you would:

Health

live 7.2 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 26.9% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 12.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 23.5% more doctors per person

Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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be 4.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 19.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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make 12.3 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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Life

be 65.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 53.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 17.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 56.3% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 13.1% more likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 84.2% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.6 times more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 87.6% more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Albania, that number is 362 km.

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Safety

be 63.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.6 times more home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 3.4 times more electricity

Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Albania uses 2,892 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 28.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 40.9% more CO2

Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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