Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Yemen instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 59.6% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
see 37.9% more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Yemen spends $169 as of 2023.
live 3.1 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 93.6% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Yemen has 1.0 as of 2023.
have 34.4% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Yemen scores 42 as of 2021.
be 7.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Yemen, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Yemen, however, that number is 48.6% as of 2014.
be 27.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Yemen, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 48.4% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Yemen, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.9 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 Yemen, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 91.0% 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 Yemen, on the other hand, 33.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 62.0% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Yemen, about 17.7% do as of 2022.
be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 75% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.6 times more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Yemen, that number is 9.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 9.9 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Yemen, that number is 1,906 km.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered
Syria has a homicide rate of 2.1 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Yemen, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2013.
Infrastructure
find 81.5% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Yemen has 1.3 as of 2022.
live with 36.5% more strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Yemen withdraws 170% as of 2022.
use 89.5% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Yemen uses 90 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 79.5% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Yemen, it causes 109.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2022), The World Factbook (2014–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Yemen
Yemen: At a glance
How big is Yemen compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.