|
Economy - overview:
|
Syria's predominantly statist economy has been growing, on
average, more slowly than its 2.4% annual population growth rate, causing a
persistent decline in per capita GDP. Recent legislation allows private
banks to operate in Syria, although a private banking sector will take years
and further government cooperation to develop. External factors such as the
international war on terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the
war between the US-led coalition and Iraq probably will drive real annual
GDP growth levels back below their 3.5% spike in 2002. A long-run economic
constraint is the pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population
growth, industrial expansion, and increased water pollution. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $59.4 billion (2002 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
3.5% (2002 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2002 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 27%
industry: 23%
services: 50% (2000 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
15%-25% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
0.9% (2002 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
5.2 million (2000 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture, industry, services NA (2002) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
20% (2002 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $6 billion
expenditures: $7 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.6
billion (2002 est.) |
|
Industries:
|
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco,
phosphate rock mining |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
NA% |
|
Electricity - production:
|
23.26 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 57.6%
hydro: 42.4%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
21.63 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
522,700 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
265,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA (2001) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA (2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
2.4 billion bbl (January 2002 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
240.7 billion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar
beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk |
|
Exports:
|
$6.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
crude oil 70%, petroleum products 7%, fruits and vegetables
5%, cotton fiber 4%, clothing 3%, meat and live animals 2% (2000 est.)
|
|
Exports - partners:
|
Germany 19%, Italy 16%, France 12%, Turkey 7%, Lebanon 5%,
Spain 4%, Austria 3%, Saudi Arabia 3%, Iraq (2001) |
|
Imports:
|
$4.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and transport equipment 21%, food and livestock
18%, metal and metal products 15%, chemicals and chemical products 10% (2000
est.) |
|
Imports - partners:
|
Italy 8%, Germany 7%, France 6%, Lebanon 5%, South Korea 5%,
Turkey 5%, China 4%, US 4%, Japan 3% (2001 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$22 billion (2002 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$199 million (1997 est.) |
|
Currency:
|
Syrian pound (SYP) |
|
Currency code:
|
SYP |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Syrian pounds per US dollar - (Official rate): 11.225 (2002),
11.225 (2001), 11.225 (2000), 11.225 (1999), 11.225 (1998), (Free market
rate): 49.65 (2001), 49.4 (2000), 51.7 (1999), 52 (1998) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
