Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 8.3 years longer

In Syria, the average life expectancy is 74 years (73 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 14.4% less likely to be obese

In Syria, 27.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Spain, that number is 23.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 13.9 times more money

Syria has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2015, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $40,200 as of 2022.

be 75.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Spain, however, that number is 20.4% as of 2021.

pay a 2.0 times higher top tax rate

Syria has a top tax rate of 22.0% as of 2016. In Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 90.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Syria, approximately 30.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 14.1% more likely to be literate

In Syria, the literacy rate is 86.4% as of 2015. In Spain, it is 98.6% as of 2020.

be 84.4% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 67.3% fewer children

In Syria, there are approximately 21.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 12.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Syria, approximately 89% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Spain, 100% of the population do as of 2021.

be 2.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Spain, about 94.0% do as of 2021.

Geography

see 25.7 times more coastline

Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Syria, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.

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