Population

16,728,808 note :  in addition, there are about 38,200 people living in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2001 est.)

Age structure :
0-14 years:  39.92% (male 3,440,060; female 3,238,576) 15-64 years:  56.87% (male4,868,816; female 4,644,870) 65 years and over:  3.21% (male 261,036; female 275,450) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate : 2.54% (2001 est.)

Ethnic groups : Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions :
Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages : Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Currency : Syrian pound (SYP)

Currency code : SYP

Exchange rates : Syrian pounds per US dollar - 46 (2000), 46 (1998), 41.9 (January 1997)

Fiscal year :  Calendar year.