More than one in four Syrians live in “extreme poverty” according to the World Bank

More than a quarter of Syrians live in “extreme poverty”, declared the World Bank (WB) on Saturday May 25, thirteen years after the start of the civil war. According to two new WB reports on Syria, “27% of Syrians, or around 5.7 million people, live in extreme poverty”. “Almost non-existent before the conflict” in Syria, this form of poverty affected more than one in four Syrians in 2022, according to the WB, which notes that the earthquake in 2023 could have further worsened the situation.

The war has caused considerable damage to the country’s economy, infrastructure and industry, a situation exacerbated by Western sanctions. According to the World Bank, “persistent funding gaps and limited access to humanitarian aid” have greatly affected the most deprived Syrians, already faced with “a surge in prices, reduced access to basic services and rising unemployment”.

The UN previously told AFP that its humanitarian response plan in Syria for 2024 required more than $4 billion, but that only 6% of this amount had been funded so far. The international community is due to meet on Monday in Brussels (Belgium) to try to mobilize funds for Syria at an annual donations conference.