Poverty Rising
Syria Media Report, 04-Jun-09
Poverty Rising
Syria Media Report, 04-Jun-09
Poverty is growing in Syria, according to an analysis of official study cited in a May 27 article on the pro-government website Syrian Bourse. The article reported on a lecture given by economist Rabih Naser in Damascus on May 26.
According to the website, Naser produced an analysis of poverty in the country based on a recent survey carried by the official Central Census Bureau on the incomes and expenditures of Syrian families.
The website said that Naser’s analysis showed that the percentage of the extremely poor in Syria – those living on less than 1 US dollar per day – increased slightly between 2004 and 2007.
The survey reportedly said that the percentage of people earning less than 30 dollars a month increased from around 30 per cent to 33.6 per cent between 2004 and 2007.
As for the percentage of people living on less than 40 dollars a month, the survey is said to have indicated that this increased from about 11.4 per cent to 12.3 per cent during the same period.
The article cited a sharp contrast between these figures and the government’s stated goal of curbing poverty by as much as 23 per cent between 2005 and 2010, said the article.
According to the article, Naser said during his lecture that state economic development plans were not improving the lives of the most vulnerable sections of Syrian society.
The expert noted that this year would be “tougher” on the underprivileged classes because of the higher cost of goods and limited job opportunities, said the article. He indicated, said the website, that while the highest levels of poverty were mainly concentrated in the northeastern parts of Syria, they have also increased in the south of the country.
He reportedly explained that the main causes of poverty were harsh climate conditions, the global financial crunch and tensions in the region.
Syrians’ living conditions have also deteriorated as a result of the removal of subsidies on oil and fertilizers, as well as a lower level of investment in the country, said Naser, according to the website.
