Shaaban Chamieh | Mohammad Deeb Bazat | Odai al-Haj Hussin
After more than a decade of war and successive economic crises, poverty has become one of the most prominent challenges Syrians face in their daily lives, amid declining purchasing power, rising living costs, and eroding opportunities for stability and work.
As poverty has expanded to include the majority of the population, its consequences are no longer limited to living conditions. They have extended into the social structure and ways of life, from changing family priorities and the decline of the middle class to many Syrians relying on coping strategies imposed by the new economic reality.
In this file, Enab Baladi examines the reality of poverty in Syria from economic and social angles, through testimonies from Syrians and the views of economic experts, academics, and specialists, in an attempt to understand how this reality has reshaped Syrians’ lives, and what the main challenges and possible solutions are in confronting a crisis whose effects go beyond income to the structure of society itself.
Poverty as a Structure of Life
Syrians Move Beyond Stability to the Search for Survival
Poverty in Syria is no longer just a temporary economic crisis, or a condition linked to falling income and rising prices. It has become an integrated structure that reshapes individuals’ lives and daily choices, with effects extending to patterns of thinking and behavior, and even to deeper concepts related to belonging, citizenship, and the relationship with the state and society.
In this context, the basic question for many Syrians has shifted from how to improve their standard of living to how to keep going, under a reality where options are limited and the ability to plan for the future is eroding.
UN reports indicate that about 90% of Syrians are now below the poverty line.
According to a 2025 UN program report, nine out of ten people in Syria live in poverty, and one in four is unemployed.
Protesters at the “Law and Dignity” sit-in in al-Muhafazah Square in Damascus, 17 April 2026 (Enab Baladi/Ahmad Maslamani)
Reality Speaks
In Aleppo, Abdullah Hammo sums up these transformations by saying his salary is no longer a source of livelihood, but merely a number that is almost symbolic. He works in his official job in the morning and spends the evening hours delivering orders to secure additional income, but he confirms that what he earns only covers the bare minimum of basic needs.
This situation does not only reflect declining purchasing power, but also points to a transformation of work from a means of achieving stability into a tool for daily survival, with no prospect of saving or improving conditions.
In Damascus, Ahmad Ezzo, a university graduate, faces a reality that is different in form but similar in substance. After years of studying at the Faculty of Arts, he was unable to find a stable job, which pushed him into freelance work online, in addition to selling homemade products.
“Degrees have become worthless in the current labor market,” Ahmad said, noting that most of the graduates of his generation whom he knows are living in an open-ended state of waiting, between temporary and unstable opportunities.
This transformation reflects a structural flaw in the labor market, where academic qualifications are no longer enough to guarantee professional stability, according to Ahmad.
In southern rural Aleppo, farmer Mahmoud Sarhan recounts how agriculture has become less viable as a source of income. Rising production costs, including seeds, fertilizers, and fuel, alongside price fluctuations and weak purchasing power, pushed him to reduce the area of land he cultivates.
“We farm to live, not to make a profit,” Sarhan said, noting his partial reliance on remittances from one of his sons abroad. This situation reflects the fragility of the agricultural sector, which was supposed to be one of the pillars of economic stability.
The “Shadow Economy”
Faced with this reality, many Syrians are turning to what can be called the “shadow economy” as an almost compulsory option, from working two jobs to engaging in unregulated work. These patterns have become part of daily life.
But these “survival tactics,” according to specialists, remain temporary individual solutions. They do not address the roots of the problem, but rather reflect society’s transition into a stage of “managing poverty,” instead of seeking to overcome it.
The impact of poverty is not limited to the material side. It extends to the social structure. With declining purchasing power and the erosion of the middle class, the gap between groups widens, and the sense of injustice grows.
Economist Abbas Ali told Enab Baladi that poverty in Syria is no longer merely a lack of income. It has become a multidimensional condition that includes education, health, and opportunities, and directly affects social mobility.
Economic instability pushes individuals to make short-term decisions focused on survival, instead of investing in education or developing skills, which entrenches the cycle of poverty in the long term.
The economist noted that the decline or insufficiency of the state’s role in providing basic services places an additional burden on individuals and reinforces their reliance on individual solutions or informal support networks.
Under this reality, concepts such as belonging and citizenship are affected, as many individuals feel that they are outside the equation of influence, and that their relationship with the state has become limited to obtaining the minimum level of services.
In approaching solutions, Ali stressed that addressing poverty requires comprehensive policies that are not limited to cash or relief support, but also include stimulating production and creating sustainable job opportunities.
Support for small and medium-sized enterprises, according to Ali, could provide an important entry point, provided that an appropriate environment is available, including:
- Real financing facilities.
- Simplified administrative procedures.
- Supportive infrastructure.
- Local and foreign marketing channels.
He also stressed the need to redirect support toward productive sectors, such as agriculture and industry, rather than limiting it to consumer support, which does not achieve a long-term impact.
A Multidimensional Structural Phenomenon
In an analytical reading of the reality of poverty in Syria, Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed, professor of finance and banking at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Hama, told Enab Baladi that poverty is no longer merely an issue linked to falling income or declining consumption. It has become a multidimensional structural phenomenon affecting the economy, society, and culture at the same time.
Mohammed said that understanding poverty in Syria today cannot be separated from its historical and structural context, where internal factors, such as the erosion of the productive sector and imbalances in reconstruction policies, intersect with external factors, such as economic sanctions and declining financial flows. This has entrenched new patterns of marginalization and reproduced poverty across generations.
According to Mohammed, poverty in Syria is the result of deep transformations in the structure of the political economy. Years of war destroyed a large part of physical and human capital and collapsed social safety networks, while an informal economy emerged that relies on remittances and intermediary trade.
Internal displacement and changing housing patterns, whether toward rural areas or informal neighborhoods, have contributed to entrenching what can be called “spatial poverty,” where limited income coincides with weak access to basic services and education, reinforcing the transfer of poverty between generations.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed
Professor of Finance and Banking at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Hama
Accumulated Poverty, Not Circumstantial
Current poverty is not the result of an emergency crisis, but rather the cumulative outcome of economic policies that predate 2011, worsened by the war and the monetary and financial transformations that followed, according to Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed.
He noted that the Syrian economy was already suffering from structural imbalances, such as weak investment in productive sectors and high rates of disguised unemployment, before the war deepened these crises by destroying infrastructure, shrinking gross domestic product, and gradually lifting subsidies without effective alternatives.
He explained that this accumulation appears in the details of daily life, through reduced consumption of basic goods, rising levels of household debt, the spread of phenomena such as child labor and early marriage, alongside declining school enrollment rates and deteriorating purchasing power.
The deterioration of vital sectors, such as energy and transport, contributed to raising the costs of living and production, which expanded poverty even in areas considered relatively more stable.
A Comprehensive Project, Not a Temporary Solution
Poverty in Syria is no longer a temporary condition, but a way of life based on fragility, according to Mohammed, who noted that any discussion of addressing it without deep structural reforms in the economy and state institutions will remain limited in effect.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed believes that the challenge is not limited to the economic side, but is also political and social, and is related to the ability to move from a rentier economy to a productive one, and to restore trust between the state and society.
He considered that dealing with poverty must begin by viewing it as an issue linked to the distribution of resources, power, and opportunities, not merely a gap in consumption that can be closed through aid.
The Gap Between Expectations and Reality
In an economic reading of living conditions in Syria, Dr. Majdi al-Jamous, professor at the Faculty of Economics at Damascus University and an economist, told Enab Baladi that the percentage of Syrians living below the poverty line, which exceeds 89%, according to the latest UN reports, shows that poverty is no longer merely an income crisis or a decline in purchasing power. It has become a deeper phenomenon linked to the structure of the broader economic and social reality.
Al-Jamous explained that the expansion of poverty in this way is linked to several overlapping levels. The first is what he described as “the gap between expectations and reality” after the liberation phase, when many Syrians pinned hopes on rapid economic improvement, including fighting corruption, improving individual income, and raising living standards. The failure of these expectations to materialize contributed to a state of disappointment and frustration.
Economic Factionalism
The second factor is related to the nature of current economic and structural policies, according to Damascus University economics professor and economist Majdi al-Jamous. He considered that part of the crisis is linked to what he described as “economic factionalism,” as signs of prosperity have become confined to specific groups, while the segment of the most vulnerable groups expands.
The third factor is linked to lifting subsidies from broad segments of the population, which directly affected living standards. Living costs have become more difficult at a time when income levels can no longer cover basic needs.
He added that this reality is not limited to its direct economic impact, but extends to the social side. Many families are no longer able to meet the minimum level of their daily obligations, amid declining hope that the economic situation can improve in the near term, which reinforces feelings of despair and instability.
Al-Jamous noted that these factors intersect with broader problems related to the absence of a stable and attractive economic environment, pointing out that Syria has moved, in the eyes of many, from the possibility of being a promising investment environment to a reality marked by security, political, and economic instability.
Exchange rate fluctuations, the absence of a clear economic identity, and the lack of a comprehensive strategic plan for various sectors, alongside a weak legislative and legal environment, have all contributed to undermining the confidence of citizens and investors alike.
Dr. Majdi al-Jamous
Professor at the Faculty of Economics at Damascus University
According to al-Jamous, the absence of a clear economic headline for the current stage, whether at the level of policies or priorities, has made a broad segment of Syrians feel that improvement in living standards is not close.
In the end, Syrians today appear to be living in a state of continuous adaptation to poverty, rather than moving toward recovery from it.
Between individual attempts to survive and recommendations for reform, the main challenge remains the ability to turn these efforts into an integrated path that rebuilds the economy and gives individuals a real chance to regain control over their lives.
Protesters during the “Law and Dignity” sit-in at al-Muhafazah Square in Damascus, 17 April 2026 (Enab Baladi/Ahmad Maslamani)
A National Strategy for “Social Protection and Combating Poverty,” Where Does It Stand?
At the beginning of this year, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat revealed that work was underway to prepare a national strategy to combat poverty, through a government committee composed of several ministries, including finance, health, education, and interior. She noted that about 80% of Syrians live below the poverty line.
Kabawat set a three-month period at the time to launch it, while no updates had been announced on the strategy or the results of the committee’s work by the date this file was prepared.
Kabawat explained that work was proceeding in parallel on a comprehensive social protection strategy, including initiatives targeting beggars, orphans, persons with disabilities, women without breadwinners, and refugees upon their return to Syria.
The minister confirmed that the primary goal of these initiatives is to create sustainable job opportunities, with a focus on vocational training as a key pillar for preparing the labor force and ensuring its readiness to meet market needs when investments begin to arrive and new projects are launched.
On 24 November 2025, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, launched a workshop on the “Multidimensional Poverty Reduction Strategy.”
The workshop included an introduction to the methodology and indicators for measuring multidimensional poverty, as well as a presentation of international experiences in this field and Syrian policies and laws related to poverty. It also included group discussions on why measuring this type of poverty is needed in Syria, and the current challenges in measurement processes.
What Is Multidimensional Poverty?
Poverty is not measured only through income or consumption. Other aspects must be included, such as health, education, and access to basic services.
The Multidimensional Poverty Index, MPI, measures poverty based on ten indicators grouped into three dimensions, health, education, and standard of living.
There is also a difference between monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty, as monetary poverty does not fully reflect all aspects of deprivation experienced by individuals.
It is important to use both measures to obtain a complete picture of poverty, which helps governments monitor progress in basic services and make informed decisions to address poverty in more comprehensive ways.
The Crisis Strikes Social Cohesion
Enab Baladi discussed this file with economists Dr. Abdullah Qazzaz and Dr. Yahya al-Sayed Omar, to assess the scale of the problem, its deep causes, and its repercussions for social cohesion and public stability.
The two experts agree that the estimates, even if they appear high, reflect a bitter reality, as the World Bank estimates poverty in Syria at about 90% of the population.
Qazzaz explained that about 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, at $2.15 a day, with extreme poverty rising to 30% to 40% in cities and remote rural areas, and the middle class declining from 60% before 2011 to 5% in 2023.
Dr. al-Sayed Omar believes the issue is no longer linked only to declining income, but to the erosion of the ability to meet basic needs, from food to housing and services.
Currency Collapse and Falling Production, Roots of the Crisis
The two experts do not consider the situation the result of a passing stage, but rather the outcome of the overlap of recent factors with structural problems.
Economist Yahya al-Sayed Omar said on the matter, “Poverty did not reach this level only because of an emergency circumstance, but because of damage to infrastructure and the exit of basic productive sectors, which led to declining employment opportunities, weak investment, and increased reliance on imports.”
Exchange rate volatility plays a direct role in deepening poverty, as al-Sayed Omar noted that the pound lost more than 99.5% of its value, which was quickly reflected in prices.
A higher dollar exchange rate immediately translates into higher costs for basic goods, putting pressure on household income. Current monetary policies face major challenges in limiting inflation because of limited tools and weak reserves.
Decree No. 67 Deepens the Social Rift
Al-Sayed Omar and Qazzaz said Decree No. 67 of 2026, which provides for increasing salaries and wages, has only a limited impact in confronting high prices.
Qazzaz said, “The 50% increase looks positive in theory, but the living costs for a family of four exceed five million Syrian pounds per month. Even if we assume they are three million, the minimum wage covers only 25% of basic needs.”
Qazzaz continued, explaining the social repercussions, “A temporary improvement for employees worsens inequality if it does not extend to the private sector, as 70% of those able to work in the private sector have wages that are 40% lower. Non-employees, such as farmers, small traders, and the unemployed, do not benefit, which deepens the social rift.”
The erosion of the middle class leads to the breakdown of social ties, as despair, a sense of disappointment, crime, begging, and protests spread, threatening political and economic stability.
Dr. Abdullah Qazzaz
Financial and Banking Expert
A “Practical” Vision to Exit the Tunnel
The two experts, al-Sayed Omar and Qazzaz, believe that exiting the tunnel requires an integrated package that goes beyond “painkiller” measures, by focusing on reviving productive sectors.
Al-Sayed Omar stressed this point by saying, “Achieving comprehensive economic recovery requires moving beyond partial solutions and focusing on reactivating agriculture and small and medium-sized industry, which are capable of creating jobs and generating sustainable income. Improving the business environment and simplifying procedures also encourages the return of economic activity.”
Qazzaz presented a practical vision represented by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises through concessional loans and facilitated procedures, moving toward a mixed economy based on foreign investment in gas, agriculture, phosphate, oil, real estate, and tourism, and implementing broad monetary reforms.
These measures could enable the government to reduce poverty to 50% to 60% by 2030, according to Qazzaz, but failure could lead to the collapse of social justice and reaching the level of extreme poverty.
Between Urgent Support and Reform, A Difficult Balance
Recognizing the scale of suffering, the two experts stressed the need for an urgent safety net with efficient management.
Al-Sayed Omar considered that short-term support programs, whether through cash transfers or support for basic goods, remain necessary, but need more precise management to ensure they reach the groups most in need, and to use them as a tool accompanying a transitional phase, not as a permanent substitute for reform.
For his part, Qazzaz proposed implementing a “family support” program, at least 500,000 Syrian pounds per month for the poorest families, conditional on enrollment in vocational training, covering 80% of the poor. In his view, this would contribute to improving quality of life and enhancing economic activity.
Corruption, the Hidden Enemy of Reform
The two experts agree that any recovery plan will fail without a serious fight against corruption. Qazzaz stressed this, considering that strengthening transparency and fighting corruption are necessary to ensure that resources and support reach those entitled to them. Corruption drains development allocations, and building trust between citizens and government institutions is a basic pillar for the success of any development plan, ensuring social justice and a more equitable distribution of wealth.
Poverty has also become an existential issue threatening the Syrian social fabric, and requires a vision that goes beyond temporary solutions.
Balancing support and reform, according to Omar, requires combining protection for the most vulnerable groups with gradual reforms that rebuild the economy on more efficient and stable foundations. This path forms the true basis for reducing poverty and building sustainable recovery that ensures greater long-term stability.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor launches a workshop to reduce multidimensional poverty in Syria in cooperation with UN agencies, 24 November 2025 (SANA)
The Social Effects of Poverty, Challenges and Proposed Solutions
Poverty is associated with manifestations of pain, helplessness, deprivation, misery, and family disintegration. Its dangerous effects also appear through the comprehensiveness of its repercussions on society as a whole, as well as its links to many variables, making it a maze that is difficult to escape.
Poverty is a major cause of social tensions, and threatens to divide countries because of income inequality. This happens when a country’s wealth is distributed unfairly among its citizens, as a small minority controls the majority of the money.
Rich or developed countries maintain their stability thanks to the presence of a middle class. Nevertheless, even Western countries are gradually losing their middle class, which has led to increased riots and polarization.
The Erosion of the Middle Class
Regarding social effects, professor of finance and banking at the Faculty of Economics Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed explained that the expansion of poverty has led to a clear erosion of the middle class, which had represented an element of balance in society. He noted that a broad segment of employees and self-employed professionals has turned into vulnerable or poor groups.
He added that this was accompanied by a change in the structure of the labor market, where organized work declined in favor of informal work, and temporary and fragile jobs became dominant, without contracts or guarantees.
He also pointed to changes in production patterns, from agriculture and industry to intermediary trade and low-productivity services, alongside the exit of some groups from the labor market or their entry into low-income work, and the spread of child labor as a phenomenon linked to the economic reality.
“Normalizing Fragility”
These transformations reshaped relationships within families and local communities, turning traditional solidarity networks from support tools into temporary means of survival, accompanied by increasing psychological and material burdens, according to professor of finance and banking at the Faculty of Economics Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed.
He pointed to cultural changes linked to this reality, including the decline in the value of productive work as a source of dignity, in exchange for the spread of coping patterns based on borrowing and selling assets, such as land and personal property, alongside what he described as the “normalization of fragility” as part of daily life.
Effects on Belonging
Poverty does not affect living conditions alone. It extends to reshaping concepts such as belonging and stability, as it weakens traditional social ties and replaces them with narrow networks based on primary affiliations.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohammed said that forced internal and external migration has changed the meaning of stability, which is no longer available to many Syrians, amid constant movement between unstable job opportunities.
He also pointed to deeper social repercussions, such as increasing pressure within families, rising rates of violence linked to economic conditions, the decline of the traditional role of the breadwinner, and indicators of deteriorating mental health in society.
Regarding the possibilities of escaping poverty, Mohammed stressed that treatment cannot be limited to traditional economic measures, such as cash support or small projects, considering that poverty in Syria has become a structural phenomenon requiring a comprehensive approach.
He explained that any partial solutions will not be sufficient in the absence of institutions capable of redistributing resources fairly or implementing effective social protection policies, noting that the continuation of this reality may lead to only limited groups benefiting from any economic improvement.
He noted that escaping poverty requires reformulating the relationship between the economy, society, and the state, by rebuilding institutions on the basis of transparency and justice, and supporting productive sectors, such as agriculture and industry, instead of relying on a rentier economy.
He also stressed the importance of linking social protection policies to training and employment programs, alongside addressing the social and cultural effects of poverty through education, psychological support, and strengthening societal trust.
Poverty, When It Becomes a Threat
Poverty is a serious factor that can destabilize an entire country. When an individual or society lives in difficult economic conditions, unemployment, low income, and instability, a strong internal feeling of anxiety and fear of the future emerges.
This feeling does not remain purely economic, according to psychosocial consultant Dr. Heba Kamal Arnous, who spoke to Enab Baladi. It turns into a sense of threat to one’s job, identity, social status, and even safety, until it reaches the point of political impact.
The psychosocial consultant explained the most prominent effects of poverty on societies:
- Scarcity mindset: Poverty consumes a large part of mental attention, as short-term thinking, today and this week, dominates instead of long-term planning. This leads to decisions that may look irrational from the outside but are a logical adaptation to pressure.
- Erosion of the sense of control: A perception forms that “life is imposed on me,” while what is known as “learned helplessness” rises, the feeling that effort does not change outcomes.
- Reshaping trust: Trust in institutions, the state and the law, declines, while trust rises in close networks, family, sect, and tribe. Society shifts from an “institutional system” to a “relationship system.”
- Chronic psychological pressure: Constant anxiety, tension, and mental exhaustion affect self-control, learning, and even family relationships.
- Reproducing poverty: Poverty is not inherited only financially, but also psychologically and behaviorally, through low expectations, fear of risk, and thought patterns limited by a pressuring reality.
The Effect of Poverty on Ideology and Politics
Psychosocial consultant Dr. Heba Kamal Arnous noted that poverty affects interests, ideology, and political positions through:
- A change in the hierarchy of priorities: Interests shift from public issues, the environment and democracy, to work, food, and safety. In psychology, this is called a “shift in the value hierarchy.”
- Values become more pragmatic: Abstract values, justice and transparency, retreat before “what benefits me now?” The tendency to justify favoritism, petty corruption, and circumvention also increases.
- An effect on political positions: This appears in a tendency toward populism, through favoring leaders who offer quick solutions and use emotional discourse, because psychological pressure reduces the ability to evaluate complex programs.
The Impact of Poverty on Polarization
The political effects are represented by polarization, as poverty and a sense of threat increase acceptance of “us and them” discourse, in addition to mood-driven politics, where voting shifts toward whoever provides citizens with direct services and aid. Politics therefore becomes a survival tool, not an ideological expression.
Protest is also among the political effects of poverty in societies, according to Arnous. When pressure exceeds a certain limit, frustration turns into collective anger, but protest is often intermittent or unsustainable because of limited resources.
Poverty negatively affects concepts of identity and belonging, as sub-identities, religious, tribal, and regional, emerge because they provide psychological safety and an alternative support network.
Dr. Heba Kamal Arnous
Psychosocial Expert
Recommendations and Solutions
The psychosocial consultant offers solutions and recommendations she described as “strategic” to reduce the negative effects of poverty on society, including:
- Reducing the mental pressure of poverty, through direct and stable support programs, partial basic income and regular cash support. Stability, even if limited, improves long-term thinking.
- Building a sense of capability, through empowerment programs, effective vocational training, and real rather than symbolic opportunities, while linking effort to a clear outcome.
- Restoring trust in institutions. This is achieved through transparency in services and procedural justice, even if resources are limited. People accept shortage more than injustice.
- Investing in community mental health, by providing low-cost psychological support, group sessions, awareness programs, and reducing stigma around mental health.
- Strengthening positive social networks, supporting initiatives, cooperatives, and the community economy, and shifting dependence from “closed narrow relationships” to “open networks.”
- Designing “behavior-aware” policies, simplifying government procedures and reducing complexity, considering that poverty reduces the ability to deal with complexity, and using positive behavioral nudges.
- Realistic value education, by strengthening dignity, responsibility, and critical thinking, without ignoring the reality of pressures.
The psychosocial consultant believes that poverty does not make people “less moral,” but places them in contexts that pressure their choices, considering that many behaviors linked to poverty are “smart” adaptations within a difficult environment, not personal flaws.
Addressing poverty only materially is insufficient. Its psychological and cognitive effects must also be addressed. The most dangerous long-term effect is not hunger itself, but the reshaping of what a person believes is possible or deserved.
Dr. Heba Kamal Arnous
Psychosocial Expert
Protesters at the “Law and Dignity” sit-in in al-Muhafazah Square in Damascus, 17 April 2026 (Enab Baladi/Ahmad Maslamani)
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