| 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 - $63.48 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate |
3.6% (2002
est.) |
| GDP
- per capita |
purchasing
power parity - $3,700 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector |
agriculture:
27%
industry: 23%
services: 50% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line |
15%-25% |
| 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.) |
| Industries |
petroleum,
textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock
mining |
| Industrial
production growth rate |
NA% |
