Overview: Syria's rigidly structured Bathist economy turned out slightly more goods in 1990 than in 1983, when the population was 20% smaller. Economic difficulties are attributable, in part, to severe drought in several recent years, costly but unsuccessful attempts to match Israel's military strength, a falloff in Arab aid, and insufficient foreign exchange earnings to buy needed inputs for industry and agriculture. Socialist policy, embodied in a thicket of bureaucratic regulations, in many instances has driven away or pushed underground the mercantile and entrepreneurial spirit for which Syrian businessmen have
long been famous. Two bright spots: a sizable number of villagers have benefited from land redistribution, electrification, and other rural development programs; and a recent find of light crude oil has enabled Syria to cut oil imports. A long-term concern is the additional drain of upstream Euphrates water by Turkey when its vast dam and irrigation projects are completed toward the end of the 1990s. Output in 1990 rebounded from the very bad year of 1989, as agricultural production and oil revenues increased substantially.

GDP: $20.0 billion, per capita $1,600; real growth rate 12% (1990 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $4.8 billion; expenditures $5.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1 billion (1990 est.)

Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--petroleum 40%, textiles 30%, farm products 13%, phosphates (1989); partners--USSR and Eastern Europe 42%, EC 31%, Arab countries 17%, US/Canada 2% (1989)

Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--foodstuffs and beverages 21%, metal and metal products 16%, machinery 14%, textiles, petroleum (1989); partners--EC 42%, USSR and Eastern Europe 13%, other Europe 13%, US/Canada 8%, Arab countries 6% (1989)

External debt: $5.2 billion in hard currency (1990 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 17% (1990 est.); accounts for 19% of GDP

Electricity: 2,867,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced, 500 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, petroleum

Agriculture: accounts for 27% of GDP and one-third of labor force; all major crops (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas) grown mainly on rainfed land causing wide swings in production; animal products--beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk; not self-sufficient in grain or livestock products

Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $538 million; Western (non-US) ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.3 billion

Currency: Syrian pound (plural--pounds); 1 Syrian pound (5S) = 100 piasters

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (5S) per US$1--11.2250 (fixed rate since 1987), 3.9250 (fixed rate 1976-87)

Fiscal year: calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Syria on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Syria Economy 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Syria Economy 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.