Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Syria

Population in cities over 1 million in Syria in 2025 — 6,802,049 people. Ranked 44 in the world out of 121. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 457%.

2025 6.8M people +4.6% vs 2024
World rank 44of 121
Period maximum 6.82M people2010
Period minimum 1.22M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Syria, 1960–202502M4M6M8M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 1,221,178 people1962: 1,328,971 people1964: 1,450,449 people1966: 1,582,878 people1968: 1,727,643 people1970: 1,885,466 people1972: 2,046,772 people1974: 2,220,067 people1976: 2,408,318 people1978: 2,612,257 people1980: 2,833,802 people1982: 3,041,739 people1984: 3,216,237 people1986: 3,401,720 people1988: 3,599,483 people1990: 3,809,821 people1992: 4,034,215 people1994: 4,273,018 people1996: 4,524,187 people1998: 4,791,339 people2000: 5,076,780 people2002: 5,381,039 people2004: 5,706,375 people2006: 6,053,023 people2008: 6,423,881 people2010: 6,819,744 people2012: 4,932,573 people2014: 4,014,938 people2016: 5,113,582 people2018: 5,368,378 people2020: 5,644,630 people2022: 5,998,603 people2024: 6,502,614 people2025: 6,802,049 people
Change over the period: +5.58M (+457.01%) Average annual rate: 2.68 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Syria

Syria 6.8M people
World computed 2.01B people
Middle East & North Africa computed 130M people
Western Asia computed 101M people
Low-income countries computed 94.17M people
Population in cities over 1 million — Syria, by year Syria All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 6.8M +299,435 +4.6%
2024 6.5M +271,389 +4.36%
2023 6.23M +232,622 +3.88%
2022 6M +192,638 +3.32%
2021 5.81M +161,335 +2.86%
2020 5.64M +142,545 +2.59%
2019 5.5M +133,707 +2.49%
2018 5.37M +129,516 +2.47%
2017 5.24M +125,280 +2.45%
2016 5.11M +670,243 +15.08%
2015 4.44M +428,401 +10.67%
2014 4.01M −381,829 −8.68%
2013 4.4M −535,806 −10.86%
2012 4.93M −769,749 −13.5%
2011 5.7M −1.12M −16.39%
2010 6.82M +201,371 +3.04%
2009 6.62M +194,492 +3.03%
2008 6.42M +188,639 +3.03%
2007 6.24M +182,219 +3.01%
2006 6.05M +176,281 +3%
2005 5.88M +170,367 +2.99%
2004 5.71M +165,457 +2.99%
2003 5.54M +159,879 +2.97%
2002 5.38M +154,719 +2.96%
2001 5.23M +149,540 +2.95%
2000 5.08M +145,141 +2.94%
1999 4.93M +140,300 +2.93%
1998 4.79M +135,826 +2.92%
1997 4.66M +131,326 +2.9%
1996 4.52M +127,512 +2.9%
1995 4.4M +123,657 +2.89%
1994 4.27M +121,386 +2.92%
1993 4.15M +117,417 +2.91%
1992 4.03M +114,056 +2.91%
1991 3.92M +110,338 +2.9%
1990 3.81M +106,901 +2.89%
1989 3.7M +103,437 +2.87%
1988 3.6M +100,504 +2.87%
1987 3.5M +97,259 +2.86%
1986 3.4M +94,255 +2.85%
1985 3.31M +91,228 +2.84%
1984 3.22M +88,668 +2.84%
1983 3.13M +85,830 +2.82%
1982 3.04M +90,457 +3.07%
1981 2.95M +117,480 +4.15%
1980 2.83M +113,105 +4.16%
1979 2.72M +108,440 +4.15%
1978 2.61M +104,114 +4.15%
1977 2.51M +99,825 +4.15%
1976 2.41M +96,108 +4.16%
1975 2.31M +92,143 +4.15%
1974 2.22M +88,470 +4.15%
1973 2.13M +84,825 +4.14%
1972 2.05M +81,667 +4.16%
1971 1.97M +79,639 +4.22%
1970 1.89M +80,694 +4.47%
1969 1.8M +77,129 +4.46%
1968 1.73M +74,021 +4.48%
1967 1.65M +70,744 +4.47%
1966 1.58M +67,711 +4.47%
1965 1.52M +64,718 +4.46%
1964 1.45M +62,113 +4.47%
1963 1.39M +59,365 +4.47%
1962 1.33M +56,820 +4.47%
1961 1.27M +50,973 +4.17%
1960 1.22M

About the indicator

The population of urban agglomerations with more than one million residents. The unit of count is the agglomeration, not the city within its administrative boundaries, and that is essential: along administrative lines many of the largest concentrations of people break up into dozens of municipalities. The indicator measures not urbanization as such but its concentration in large centers — a country can be highly urbanized without a single million-plus city.

Important: The table covers about 120 territories — the rest have no agglomerations of this size, and that is a zero, not a gap. Aggregates for groups of countries are therefore calculated at a lowered coverage threshold.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.