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Economic Affairs
Economic Office Functions
The Economic Office at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus provides the following services:
- Reporting on legislation, policies, and programs adopted by the Syrian Government in the fields of economy and commerce
- Preparing monthly economic reports on key topics covered by the local press
- Providing analysis on the Syrian government annual budget
- Tracking and maintaining an updated database of key economic indicators, including conducting price surveys on a quarterly basis to follow the fluctuation of prices in the Syrian market
Syrian Economic Indicators (2008)
|
Nominal GDP (in billion USD) |
$55.2 billion |
|
Real GDP Growth Rate |
4.5% |
|
Population |
21 million |
|
Work Force |
5.5 million |
|
Unemployment Rate |
9.8% |
|
Local Currency |
Syrian Pound (SP): 46.5 SP/ USD |
|
Inflation |
15.2% |
|
Agricultural Products |
Cotton, Wheat, Barley, Sugar Beets, Fruits and Vegetables |
|
Main Industries |
Petroleum, Textiles, Cement, Food Processing, Construction and Mining |
|
Exports |
$13.6 billion (crude oil, textiles and apparel, phosphates, fruits and vegetables) |
|
Crude Oil Production |
380,000 bpd |
|
Importers |
EU, Arab countries, U.S., East Europe, and Former USSR States |
|
Imports |
$17.2 billion (Machinery, vehicles, petroleum products, foodstuffs, spare parts, metal and metal products) |
|
Suppliers |
Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, China, and Ukraine |
|
Natural Resources |
Crude oil, natural gas, phosphates, rock salt, asphalt, marble, gypsum, iron ore, chrome, and manganese ore |
Source: Syrian Government .


