The World Bank has reported that more than a quarter of Syrians are living in extreme poverty, after 13 years of conflict in the country, which has led to successive economic crises and left millions of people unable to secure their basic needs.
The World Bank, which published two reports on Syria two days ago, stated that “27% of Syrians, or about 5.7 million people, are living in extreme poverty.”
It added: “Despite the absence of extreme poverty before the outbreak of the conflict, it has affected more than one in every four Syrians in 2022, and may have intensified due to the destructive effects of the earthquake in February 2023, which claimed about 6,000 lives.”
Previous estimates by the United Nations indicated that two million Syrians were living in extreme poverty after a decade of war, while the majority of Syrians are struggling below the poverty line.
The World Bank warned that “ongoing funding shortages and limited humanitarian aid to the country have led to an increased drain on families’ ability to secure their basic needs amid rising prices, declining essential services, and increased unemployment rates.”
