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

Health

be 44.6% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 8.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.

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be 90.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 5.0 years less

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 63.6% fewer doctors per person

Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.

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be 14.6 times more likely to die by suicide

Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 78.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Namibia, however, that number is 17.4% as of 2015.

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make 4.6 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.

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be 42.2% more likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.

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Life

have 11.8% more children

In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 7.0 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 39.2% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.

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be 35.9% less 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 3.5 times more on healthcare

Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 8.1 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.

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Safety

be 26.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water

Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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use 44.3% more electricity

Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.

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find 58.7% less home broadband

Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 48.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), The World Factbook (2014–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Namibia: At a glance

Namibia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 823,290 sq km. South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. POHAMBA was reelected in November 2009.
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How big is Namibia compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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