Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Syria, you would:
Health
live 6.4 years longer
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 28.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 21.6% more likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
be 61.0% more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 77.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 32.7 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 73.4% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 28.8% fewer children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 13.7 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.4 times more home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 13.9 times more electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 7.8 times more strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 14.6 times more CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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: Syria vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.