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Context
In March 2023, the Syrian crisis entered its 13th year, marking another milestone for Syrians throughout the region. Syria remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies, where 6.9 million people are internally displaced, and 90 per cent of the population is now estimated to live below the poverty line. Syria’s estimated population reached 22.1 million in 2022 and its Human Development Index (HDI) value declined from 0.644 in 2010 to 0.567 in 2020, ranking it at 151 out of 189 countries.
On 6 February 2023, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.5 struck Turkey and Syria, resulting in an estimated 5,670 deaths, 11,774 injuries, and affecting over eight million people. The earthquakes caused significant damage, with physical and economic losses totalling $5.2 billion, and major infrastructure damage, including 123,226 buildings. Water and sanitation facilities were also heavily impacted. The disaster exacerbated pre-existing food insecurity, leaving many households unable to access food and livelihoods, and worsening the situation for those already in debt. In Syria, over a decade of crisis has left 16.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, with critical infrastructure like schools, healthcare, and water systems extensively damaged and unrepaired. Families in less hostile areas still struggle to access basic services due to depleted resources and economic collapse.
An increasing number of children are out of school to support their families for additional income (at least 2 million children remain out of school). The combined effects of currency depreciation, soaring prices, reduced fiscal revenue, increasing domestic debt and widespread losses in livelihoods have plunged additional segments of the population into humanitarian need, most notably in areas historically less affected by hostilities and displacement. By December 2023, the cost of a food basket had doubled compared to January and had quadrupled in two years. Additionally, the escalation of hostilities across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since 7 October 2023, has had spillover effects in Syria with an increased number of attacks in various parts of the country. Regional instability is also fuelling price increases in Syria.