Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.2 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Greece, that number is 81 years (79 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022.

be 10.4% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Greece, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 12.5 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2021, while in Greece, the GDP per capita is $36,300 as of 2023.

be 18.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Syria, 13.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Greece, that number is 11.0% as of 2023.

be 77.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Greece, however, that number is 18.8% as of 2021.

pay a 2.2 times higher top tax rate

Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Greece, the top tax rate is 48.0% 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 Greece, 8.0 women do as of 2020.

be 13.3% more likely to be literate

In Syria, the literacy rate is 86.4% as of 2015. In Greece, it is 97.9% as of 2018.

be 77.6% 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 Greece, on the other hand, 3.5 children do as of 2022.

have 65.9% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greece, there are 7.4 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 Greece, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 67.4% more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Greece, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 13.7% less on education

Syria spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2009. Greece spends 4.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 70.9 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Greece, that number is 13,676 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria, GSIS, Greece.

Greece: At a glance

Greece is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 130,647 sq km. Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-communist and communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.
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How big is Greece compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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