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

Health

live 3.9 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Algeria, that number is 76 years (75 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 28.6% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Algeria, that number is 23.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 6.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Algeria spends $732 as of 2023.

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have 15.6% more access to essential health services

Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Algeria scores 74 as of 2021.

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be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Algeria, it is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 14.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Algeria, that number is 11.6% as of 2025.

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be 93.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Algeria, however, that number is 5.5% as of 2011.

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make 5.7 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Algeria, the GDP per capita is $6,051 as of 2025.

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Life

be 3.1 times more 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 Algeria, 62.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 13.8% less likely to be literate

In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Algeria, it is 81.4% as of 2018.

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be 10.2% more 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 Algeria, on the other hand, 19.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 18.7% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Algeria, there are 18.8 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 Algeria, 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 66.1% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Algeria, about 77.4% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 60.5% more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Algeria, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 5.2 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Algeria, that number is 998 km.

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Safety

be 38.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Algeria, they kill 18.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 94.2% more home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Algeria has 13.3 as of 2024.

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use 2.1 times more electricity

Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Algeria uses 1,828 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 16.4% more strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Algeria withdraws 145% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 42.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Algeria, it causes 48.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.1 times more CO2

Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Algeria emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2011–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Algeria: At a glance

Algeria is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,381,740 sq km. After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has largely dominated politics since. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting led the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. Fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense violence from 1992-98, resulting in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s, and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA, with the backing of the military, won the presidency in 1999 in an election widely viewed as fraudulent. He was reelected to a second term in 2004 and overwhelmingly won a third term in 2009, after the government amended the constitution in 2008 to remove presidential term limits. Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA, including large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing activities of extremist militants. The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in 2006 merged with al-Qa'ida to form al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, which has launched an ongoing series of kidnappings and bombings targeting the Algerian Government and Western interests. The government in 2011 introduced some political reforms in response to the Arab Spring, including lifting the 19-year-old state of emergency restrictions and increasing women's quotas for elected assemblies. Parliamentary elections in May 2012 and municipal and provincial elections in November 2012 saw continued dominance by the FLN, with Islamist opposition parties performing poorly. Political protest activity in the country remained low in 2013, but small, sometimes violent socioeconomic demonstrations by disparate groups continued to be a common occurrence. Parliament in 2014 is expected to revise the constitution.
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