A walk in the streets of Damascus is enough for a person to notice the predominance of women and absence of men in the war-torn country. Where have the men gone? After 12 years of war tens of thousands of men joined the army and many others were killed or forced to flee the country, leaving behind the women, who now outnumber their male counterparts. Syria has not held a census since 2004, but a 2023 study by the Jusoor for Studies center showed that Syria’s population stood at 26.7 million people, including over 9 million residing abroad.