Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Syria, that number is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 4.1 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Syria, that number is 27.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 70.6% more money
North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $2,900 as of 2015.
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Syria, that number is 13.8% as of 2022.
Life
be 72.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Syria, 30.0 women do as of 2020.
be 28.5% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Syria, on the other hand, 15.9 children do as of 2022.
have 64.4% more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.6% less likely to be literate
In North Korea, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2015. In Syria, it is 86.4% as of 2015.
Basic Needs
be 68.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 53% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Syria, that number is 89% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Geography
see 92.3% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.