Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 96.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Syria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.
live 8.4 years longer
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 4.8 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Syria, that number is 27.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
pay a 26.7% lower top tax rate
Rwanda has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Syria, the top tax rate is 22.0% as of 2016.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Rwanda, 38.2% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Syria, however, that number is 82.5% as of 2014.
Life
be 88.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 259.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Syria, 30.0 women do as of 2020.
be 13.8% more likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 75.9% as of 2021. In Syria, it is 86.4% as of 2015.
be 39.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 26.4 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 17.9% fewer children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Syria, there are 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 75.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Syria, that number is 89% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 55.3% more likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 30.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
be 20.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Syria, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 34.2% more on education
Rwanda spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Syria spends 5.1% of total GDP on education as of 2009.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria, Rwanda Revenue Authority.
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.