Now moving into its tenth year, the conflict in Syria has inflicted an almost unimaginable degree of devastation and loss on the Syrian people and their economy. More than 400,000 deaths have been directly attributed to the conflict so far, with millions more non-lethal casualties known to have occurred. More than half the country’s pre-conflict population (of almost 21 million) has been displaced—one of the largest displacements of people since World War II—and, partly as a result, by 2017, economic activity in Syria had shrunk by more than 60% compared to what it had been in 2010.
The social and economic impact of the conflict is also large—and growing. A lack of sustained access to health care, education, housing, and food have exacerbated the effects of the conflict and pushed millions of people into unemployment and poverty. With a severely degraded healthcare system, Syrians remain extremely vulnerable to additional shocks, such as the COVID-19 outbreak still unfolding (World Bank, 2020)
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