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

Health

live 11.4 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 57.6% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 40.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 2.8 times more doctors per person

Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 31.2% more access to essential health services

Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 11.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 52.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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make 41.0 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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Life

be 70.0% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 87.0% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 72.8% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 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 Italy, 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 91.5% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 3.1 times more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 39.4 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 83.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 4.6 times more home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 76.1% less strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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use 6.0 times more electricity

Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 81.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.0 times more CO2

Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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