Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Syria: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Syria is placed 84th of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 26.37 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 4.09 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
84th
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Syria on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Syria’s is from 2022 · CC BY 4.0
26.37
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Syria: 26.37. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Western Asia
- 26.37 Syria
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 29.77 · Israel 38.31 · Lebanon 35.48 · Türkiye 43.68
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Syria’s is from 2022 · CC BY 4.0
4.09
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Syria: 4.09. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Western Asia
- 0 United Arab Emirates and Qatar
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 0.07 · Israel 0.19 · Lebanon 1.05 · Türkiye 0.04
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
61.1
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
Syria: 61.1. Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in Western Asia
- 0.7 Azerbaijan
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 28 · Israel 22.5 · Jordan 2.2 · Lebanon 46.4 · Türkiye 4
02Over time
Which way Syria is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Gini Index
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) · lower is better
SyriaWorld median
Syria fell from 37.51 in 2003 to 26.37 in 2022; the world median went from 35.46 to 33.91.
Every year’s figures
Year Syria World median 2023 — 33.72 2022 26.4 33.91 2021 — 34.04 2020 — 34.18 2019 — 33.51 2018 — 35.25 2017 — 34.86 2016 — 34.47 2015 — 35.52 2014 — 34.79 2013 — 36.16 2012 — 35.40 2011 — 33.96 2010 — 33.71 2009 40.4 34.91 2008 — 34.60 2007 — 34.26 2006 40.2 35.63 2005 — 36.28 2004 — 34.29 2003 37.5 35.46 2002 — 37.14 Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) · lower is better
SyriaWorld median
Syria rose from 0.07 in 2003 to 4.09 in 2022; the world median went from 1.65 to 0.42.
Every year’s figures
Year Syria World median 2023 — 0.345 2022 4.1 0.420 2021 — 0.335 2020 — 0.280 2019 — 0.380 2018 — 0.460 2017 — 0.300 2016 — 0.440 2015 — 0.500 2014 — 0.635 2013 — 0.515 2012 — 0.640 2011 — 0.430 2010 — 0.530 2009 0.0 0.600 2008 — 0.350 2007 — 0.360 2006 0.0 0.465 2005 — 1.250 2004 — 0.790 2003 0.1 1.650 2002 — 3.010 Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) · lower is better
SyriaWorld median
Syria rose from 57.3 in 2017 to 61.1 in 2025; the world median went from 32.4 to 26.4.
Every year’s figures
Year Syria World median 2025 61.1 26.40 2024 73.5 27.10 2023 74.4 27.15 2022 70.7 27.90 2021 71.2 29.65 2020 74.0 31.80 2019 41.0 29.05 2018 44.2 29.85 2017 57.3 32.40
03In context
Syria beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Syria and the countries it borders
Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Iraq | 40th | 29.77 | 0.07 | 28 |
 Türkiye | 57th | 43.68 | 0.04 | 4 |
 Israel | 68th | 38.31 | 0.19 | 22.5 |
| Syria | 84th | 26.37 | 4.09 | 61.1 |
 Lebanon | 96th | 35.48 | 1.05 | 46.4 |
 Jordan | not placed | — | — | 2.2 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Western Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Syria in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Syria is ahead of the world, and behind
11 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median1
Statistics on which Syria does better than the middle country measured.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.6567.6318.65No earlier reading
Syria: 67.63 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Behind the world median7
Statistics on which Syria does worse than the middle country measured.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.3430.529No earlier reading
Syria: 0.343 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.88517.94.885▼ Worsened since 2015
Syria: 17.9 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.2630.421.26No earlier reading
Syria: 30.4 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 31st of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.121.132.1▼ Worsened since 2014
Syria: 21.13 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.7370.413▼ Worsened since 2013
Syria: 0.737 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 26th of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2021 · world median 12,8002,83412,800No earlier reading
Syria: 2,834 · world median 12,800 · Actual individual consumption per capita (PPP, current international $). World Bank Group, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 688.7 to 52,654; higher is better.
Position 149th of 173 · derived.
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric ConsumptionFAO · 2024 · world median 0.250.40.25▼ Worsened since 2014
Syria: 0.4 · world median 0.25 · Coefficient of variation of habitual calorie consumption across the population (standard deviation ÷ mean). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.17 to 0.4; lower is better.
No better end3
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Cost of a Healthy DietFAO · 2025 · world median 4.556.854.55Moved since 2017
Syria: 6.85 · world median 4.55 · Cost of the cheapest locally available healthy diet, PPP dollars per person per day. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.66 to 8.27.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.835.221.8No earlier reading
Syria: 35.2 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.886.886.88No earlier reading
Syria: 6.88 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
No current reading for Syria
Coefficient of Human Inequality (last 2015), Gini Index (last 2022), Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2022), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (last 2021), Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2022), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2022), Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (last 2015), Intergenerational Persistence in Education, Low Pay Rate, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2022), Multidimensional Poverty Measure, Palma Ratio (last 2022), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2022), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2022), Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prosperity Gap (last 2022) and Societal Poverty Rate (last 2022). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Syria’s 15 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Syria’s best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Poverty & Inequality84th of 1593/3 keys
- Environment & Sustainability107th of 1864/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital121st of 1962/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeing130th of 2002/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture156th of 1843/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge179th of 1983/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade165th of 1773/4 keys
- Digital & Technology188th of 1983/4 keys
- Energy157th of 1652/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience185th of 1933/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions186th of 1944/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 171st of 1773/4 keys
- Work & Labour179th of 1824/4 keys
- Gender & Equality180th of 1832/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties197th of 1984/4 keys
No standing on Economy & Innovation: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Syria can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
United Arab Emirates=3rd3/3 keysThis page
Syria84th3/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Syria on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Syria rank on poverty & inequality?
Syria is placed 84th of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day and Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Syria?
26.37 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Syria?
4.09 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How does Syria compare with Türkiye on poverty & inequality?
Türkiye is placed 57th of 159, and Syria 84th. Gini Index: Türkiye 43.68, Syria 26.37; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day: Türkiye 0.04, Syria 4.09; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet: Türkiye 4, Syria 61.1.
How have Syria’s poverty & inequality figures changed?
Gini Index fell from 37.51 in 2003 to 26.37 in 2022; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day rose from 0.07 in 2003 to 4.09 in 2022; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet rose from 57.3 in 2017 to 61.1 in 2025.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Syria?
No current reading is published for Syria on Coefficient of Human Inequality, Gini Index, Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), Gini Index of Monthly Earnings, Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, Intergenerational Persistence in Education, Low Pay Rate, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person, Multidimensional Poverty Measure, Palma Ratio, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity, Prosperity Gap and Societal Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 11 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Syria’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Syria (banner) — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Syria: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/syria/poverty