Land Area
China
9,596,961 km²
Largest
Syria
185,180 km²
1.9% of largest
China is 51.83× larger than Syria
Population
China
LARGEST
1.41B
PEOPLE
Syria
1.2% OF LARGEST
17.5M
PEOPLE
China has 80.72× the population of Syria
GDP
China
LARGEST
$17.96T
Syria
0.2% OF LARGEST
$40.41B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
China
LARGEST
2.04M
TROOPS
Syria
8.3% OF LARGEST
169K
TROOPS
China has 12.04× the active personnel of Syria
Air Force
China
LARGEST
3.29K
AIRCRAFT
Syria
8.4% OF LARGEST
277
AIRCRAFT
China has 11.86× the aircraft of Syria
Naval Assets
China
Syria
Wealth
Gold Reserves
China
LARGEST
2,279.6
Metric Tonnes
Syria
1.1% OF LARGEST
25.8
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
China
LARGEST
$3.27T
Reserves · excl. gold
Syria
0.6% OF LARGEST
$19B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
China
MOST
473
billionaires
Syria
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
China
LARGEST
26
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
China
NET IMPORTER
Production
4.1M b/d
Consumption
15.4M b/d
−11.3M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
China
$3,753.1B
Exports
$3,753.1B
Imports
$3,219.3B
Trade Balance
+$533.7B
Trade Surplus
Syria
$1.6B
Exports
$1.6B
Imports
$6.8B
Trade Balance
$-5.2B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Syria
supply
China
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
China
consumption
Syria
Beer
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Syria
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
China
consumption
Syria
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
China
consumption
Syria
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
China
Syria
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
China
330
Gold
262
Silver
227
Bronze
819
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 727
❄ Winter: 92
Syria
1
Gold
1
Silver
2
Bronze
4
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 4
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
China
Syria
Age Demographics
Median Age
China
39.0
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Syria
25.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
China is 13.2 years older (median) than Syria
Youth Population
Syria has the highest youth population at 60% (under 30)
Elderly Population
China has the highest elderly population at 19.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
China
|
Syria
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
85
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
65.7M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
8
|
— |
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
9
|
— |
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
China
|
Syria
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $5 | $3 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $25 | $12 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $600 | $200 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $380 | $120 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $50 | $40 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $20 | $15 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $30 | $8 |
Historical Data
Basic Information
| Metric | China | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1412600000 | 17500657 |
| Area (sq km) | 9596961 | 185180 |
| Capital | Beijing | Damascus |
| Official Language | Mandarin Chinese | Arabic |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Syrian Pound (SYP) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | China | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 2,035,000 | 169,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 510,000 | 100,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,545,000 | 269,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $292,000,000,000 | $1,800,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,651 | 2,250 |
| Armored Vehicles | 35,000 | 4,550 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 4,120 | 485 |
| Towed Artillery | 6,246 | 1,600 |
| Rocket Projectors | 2,430 | 850 |
Economy
| Metric | China | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,963,200,000,000 | $40,405,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $12,720 | $2,309 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.0% | 50.0% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 38.5 | 35.8 |
| Currency | Renminbi (Yuan, CNY) | Syrian Pound (SYP) |
| Direct Currency Comparison (1 unit of row currency equals X units of column currency) | ||
| China Currency | 1.00 (Same) | 0.0602 Weaker |
| Syria Currency | 16.6062 Stronger | 1.00 (Same) |
| USD Base Exchange Rates (All calculations use USD as the base currency) | ||
| Currency | CNY | SYP |
| 1 USD equals | 6.8086 CNY Updated: 2026-06-27 | 113.0647 SYP Updated: 2026-06-27 |
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
China is 51.8 times larger in area than Syria.
That's a massive difference!
China has 80.7 times more people than Syria.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
China has the highest GDP per capita at $12,720 among the selected countries.
China has the largest economy with a GDP of
$17.96 trillion.
China has the largest active military personnel with 2,035,000 troops.
China has the largest air force with 3,285 aircraft.
China has the largest navy with 777 vessels.
China Fact: China produces more than 1.4 billion tons of rice annually, feeding nearly 20% of the world's population.
China vs Syria: Key Comparisons
Economy: China's GDP of $18.0T is 444.6x larger than Syria's $40B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: China's population of 1.4B is 80.7x larger than Syria's 18M.
Area: China covers 9,596,961 km², making it 51.8x larger than Syria.
Military: China fields 2Million active troops vs Syria's 170Thousand.
Trade: China runs a trade surplus of $534B while Syria has a trade deficit of $5B.
Life Expectancy: China leads with a life expectancy of 77 years vs Syria's 73.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated June 2026.
Sources & methodology