Syria 's estimated pre–Syrian Civil War 2011 population was 22 ±.5 [ 1] million permanent inhabitants, which included 21,124,000 Syrians ,[ 2] as well as 1.3 million Iraqi refugees [ 3] and over 500,000 Palestinian refugees .[ 3] The war makes an accurate count of the Syrian population difficult, as the numbers of Syrian refugees ,[ 4] internally displaced Syrians and casualty numbers are in flux. The CIA World Factbook showed an estimated 20.4m people as of July 2021.[ 5] Of the pre-war population, six million are refugees outside the country , seven million are internally displaced , three million live in rebel -held territory, and two million live in the Kurdish-ruled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria .
Most modern-day Syrians are described as Levantine Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history. Genetically, Syrian Arabs are a variety of diverse Semitic -speaking groups indigenous to the region.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] With around 10% of the population, Kurds are the second biggest ethnic group in Syria , followed by Turkmen .
^ "Syria's drained population" . The Economist . 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017 .
^ "Population Existed in Syria According To Censuses (1960, 1970, 1981, 1994, 2004) And Estimates of Their Number in Mid Years 2005–2011(000)" . Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015 .
^ a b "World Refugee Survey 2008" . U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012.
^ "Syria Regional Refugee Response" . UNHCR Syria Regional Refugee Response . 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019 .
^ "The World Factbook: Syria" . CIA Library . Retrieved 22 December 2018 .
^ Michael Haag (2009). The Templars: The History and the Myth - From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons . Profile Books Limited. p. 65. ISBN 9781846681530 . Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2015-11-14 .
^ Badro, Danielle A.; Douaihy, Bouchra; Haber, Marc; Youhanna, Sonia C.; Salloum, Angélique; Ghassibe-Sabbagh, Michella; Johnsrud, Brian; Khazen, Georges; Matisoo-Smith, Elizabeth; Soria-Hernanz, David F.; Wells, R. Spencer; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Platt, Daniel E.; Zalloua, Pierre A.; Caramelli, David (30 January 2013). "Y-Chromosome and mtDNA Genetics Reveal Significant Contrasts in Affinities of Modern Middle Eastern Populations with European and African Populations" . PLOS ONE . 8 (1): e54616. Bibcode :2013PLoSO...854616B . doi :10.1371/journal.pone.0054616 . PMC 3559847 . PMID 23382925 .
^ El-Sibai M, Platt DE, Haber M, Xue Y, Youhanna SC, Wells RS, Izaabel H, Sanyoura MF, Harmanani H, Bonab MA, Behbehani J, Hashwa F, Tyler-Smith C, Zalloua PA (2009). "Geographical Structure of the Y-chromosomal Genetic Landscape of the Levant: A coastal-inland contrast" . Annals of Human Genetics . 73 (Pt 6): 568–581. doi :10.1111/j.1469-1809.2009.00538.x . PMC 3312577 . PMID 19686289 .
^ John Joseph (2000). The Modern Assyrians of the Middle East . BRILL. p. 30. ISBN 978-9004116412 . Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2015-11-14 .