Rural population in Syria
Syria: Rural population was 7.15 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Syria, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Syria stood at 7.15 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 51.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Syria peaked at 9.96 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.80 million, in 1960.
That places Syria 70th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Syria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.80 million | — |
| 1961 | 2.87 million | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 2.94 million | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 3.01 million | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 3.09 million | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 3.17 million | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 3.25 million | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 3.34 million | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 3.43 million | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 3.52 million | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 3.61 million | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 3.71 million | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 3.82 million | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 3.92 million | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 4.03 million | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 4.14 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 4.26 million | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 4.38 million | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 4.51 million | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 4.64 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 4.77 million | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 4.91 million | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 5.05 million | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 5.20 million | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 5.37 million | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 5.54 million | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 5.71 million | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 5.89 million | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 6.07 million | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 6.25 million | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 6.44 million | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 6.61 million | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 6.79 million | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 6.97 million | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 7.14 million | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 7.30 million | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 7.45 million | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 7.60 million | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 7.74 million | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 7.87 million | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 8.01 million | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 8.14 million | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 8.26 million | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 8.39 million | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 8.53 million | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 8.69 million | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 9.02 million | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 9.55 million | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 9.83 million | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 9.88 million | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 9.96 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 9.50 million | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 7.95 million | -16.4% |
| 2013 | 5.84 million | -26.5% |
| 2014 | 4.87 million | -16.6% |
| 2015 | 4.71 million | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 4.77 million | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 4.89 million | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 5.08 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 5.33 million | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 5.60 million | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 5.84 million | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 6.15 million | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 6.57 million | +6.7% |
| 2024 | 6.89 million | +4.9% |
| 2025 | 7.15 million | +3.8% |
Syria compared with similar countries
- Syria's 7.15 million is below the median for low income countries, which is 15.21 million, 47% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Syria's 7.15 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.62 million, 4.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population in Syria changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | -26.5% | 7.95 million | 5.84 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.14 million | 2.80 million | 3.52 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.10 million | 3.61 million | 4.64 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.48 million | 4.77 million | 6.25 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.19 million | 6.44 million | 7.87 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.83 million | 8.01 million | 9.88 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.29 million | 4.71 million | 9.96 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.37 million | 5.60 million | 7.15 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Syria
More agriculture & rural data for Syria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 76.61 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.4285 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 452.85 current US$ per person (2022)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2792 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 42.9% (2022)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 42.9% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2010)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.3% (2010)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Syria?
- Rural population in Syria was 7.15 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Syria?
- The highest recorded value was 9.96 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Syria?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.80 million in 1960.
- How does Syria rank for rural population?
- Syria ranks 70th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Syria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Syria data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.