DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The fourth joint report compiled by the Syrian Commission for Family Affairs and Population and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), titled ‘Return and Stability’, sheds light on the drastic changes Syrians have been exposed to since the beginning of the war in March 2011.
Poverty and unemployment
According to the report, 75-80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, though it varies across governorates. Aleppo and Idlib were reported as the most depopulated governorates, while Damascus, Tartus, Latakia and Suwayda were the most populated ones.
An estimated 8 percent lived in destitute poverty in 2014, with Daraa Hasakah, Qunaitra, Hama, Raqqa Rif Dimashq and Idlib topping the table.
Displacement was a factor contributing to heightened poverty levels, according to the report. It shows a rift in food insecurity between governorates in the east and north of the country (Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Idlib and Aleppo) and those in the southwest, like Suwayda, Damascus, Tartus and Latakia, where lower rates were recorded.
Salaries decreased by 6 percent between 2011 and 2019. GDP per capita is a tenth of what it was in 2010.
Unemployment rates witnessed a 31 percent increase in 2019, owing to damage to the agricultural and commercial spheres, caused by the destruction and looting of factories, as well as the loss of large swathes of land, which remain uncultivated.
Types of displacement
In 2019, there were 8.5 million Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). A cessation of war did not change this figure, as the deteriorated economic conditions were always the larger contributing factor. Rising poverty rates, a widening gap between income and prices, and unemployment were all factors pushing Syrians to leave their homes.
The number of Syrians who have left the country over the course of the war exceeds 3 million, mostly young men aged 15-34. An additional half a million of non-Syrians living in the country also fled.
The report shows that displacement has caused considerable increases in populated areas. Before the war, around 44 percent of the population lived in Damascus, Rif Dimashq and Aleppo governorates – or almost 20 percent of the land. On the other hand, only 17 percent of the population lived in the Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Hasakah governorates, which make up about 41 percent of Syria. Tartus and Latakia, just nearly 2 percent of Syria’s surface area, were home to about 9 percent of the population in 2010.
25 percent
Over the course of the war, significant migrations have taken place in Syria. Initial figures suggest a third of the population was displaced from their homes.
It estimated that only a quarter of Syria’s population (nearly 5 million people) continues to live in their homes today. Movement on such an abnormal scale is expected to have a long-term impact.
Damage to facilities which are vital for the people to return to their areas will take years to rebuild.
The report noted that many Syrians today remain unmarried. Tartus, Daraa, Hama and Aleppo took the lead. This is due to the current economic crisis which makes marriage very costly.
The report recorded high rates of maternal and child deaths due to absence of medical staff. Early marriages were also estimated at 24 percent, with Aleppo, Daraa and Rif Dimashq recording the highest rates. Tartus, Lattakia, Suwayda and Homs had a rate of 18 percent.
The report also surveyed the state of the education and health arenas. The first recorded a 1-5 percent reduction in gross domestic product, while the latter showed a half percent reduction over the years of war. Around 29 percent of schools were destroyed either partially or completely.
School dropouts, child labor and early marriages, which were set to vanish prior to the crisis, increased considerably.
Fertility and marriage rates are expected to lower owing to many factors, notably instability and youth migration. It is likely to affect Syria’s future population growth.