Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 15.5 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 52.4% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 86.0% less likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 27.5% less spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 21.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
be 69.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Yemen, 48.6% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Syria, however, that number is 82.5% as of 2014.
Life
be 83.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
have 32.6% fewer children
In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
be 25.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 94% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 72.1% less on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.9% less coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 66.7% less likely to be murdered
Yemen has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Syria, that number is 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2010.
Infrastructure
find 5.4 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 26.7% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 9.5 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 23.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.9 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
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: Yemen vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.