Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Finland instead of Syria, you would:

Health

live 7.5 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Finland, that number is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 20.1% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Finland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 19.8 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2021, while in Finland, the GDP per capita is $57,500 as of 2023.

be 47.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Finland, that number is 7.2% as of 2023.

be 85.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Finland, however, that number is 12.2% as of 2022.

pay a 2.3 times higher top tax rate

Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Finland, the top tax rate is 51.6% as of 2016.

Life

be 73.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Finland, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 86.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Syria, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Finland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2022.

have 53.0% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Finland, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 12.4% more likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Finland, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 99.6% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Finland, about 93.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 15.7% more on education

Syria spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. Finland spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.5 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Finland, that number is 1,250 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Finnish Tax Administration, The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria.

Finland: At a glance

Finland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 303,815 sq km. Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It gained complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its independence through cooperation with Germany and resisted subsequent invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, Finland transformed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro single currency at its initiation in January 1999. In the 21st century, the key features of Finland's modern welfare state are high quality education, promotion of equality, and a national social welfare system - currently challenged by an aging population and the fluctuations of an export-driven economy.
Read more

How big is Finland compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Finland.or Syria It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.