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Introduction: The cardiovascular (CVD) mortality in Syria is difficult to analyze, because the country routine reporting system is not very informative and the coverage of causes of deaths registration was estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to 80%. The aim of this paper was to analyze the model of the cardiovascular mortality in Syria, by exploring the potential excess of deaths compared to Romania. Methods: We standardised the cardiovascular mortality for the year 2010, using the indirect method and having as reference model the specific CVD mortality by five years age-groups in Romania. We calculated the standardised mortality ratio (SMR) and its confidence interval. Results, discussion: Using the CVD model of mortality from Romania, applied by real age-groups structure and gender in Syria, we would expect to have 16915 deaths in females and 22693 deaths in males, meaning an overall of 39608 CVD deaths. The observed number of deaths in Syria is not accurately known and the reported CVD proportionate mortality is 44.7%, meaning an absolute number of CVD deaths between 35039 (according to the crude mortality) or 28324 (according to the reported number of deaths). The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) is 88.5% (CI: 87.54; 89.39) in the first alternative or 71,5%(CI: 70.7 ; 72.3). The main weak point in our estimation was the total number of CVD deaths in Syria, which is not known, but the available estimations are closer to the first alternative. Conclusion: Our study revealed the CVD mortality in Syria is only 11.5% lower than in Romania and beside the political crisis and war from the country, adequate ecological preventive strategies need to be developed in order to control this public health problem on long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]