1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 25%
services: 45% (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.1% (1994 est.)

Labor force: 4.7 million (1995 est.)
by occupation: services 42%, industry 36%, agriculture 22% (1990
est.)

Unemployment rate: 8% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)

Industries: textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco,
phosphate rock mining, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)

Electricity:
capacity: 4,160,000 kW
production: 13.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 865 kWh (1993)

Agriculture: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas; beef,
lamb, eggs, poultry, milk

Illicit drugs: a transit point for Lebanese and Turkish refined
cocaine going to Europe and heroin and hashish bound for regional
and Western markets

Exports: $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: petroleum 66%, cotton, fruits and vegetables 14%,
textiles 9%, animal products 4%, industrial products 3%
partners: EU 61%, Arab countries 24%, former CEMA countries, China,
Yugoslavia 5%, US and Canada 3% (1993 est.)

Imports: $5.4 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: machinery 25%, metal products 16%, transport equipment
15%, foodstuffs 12%, textiles 10%
partners: EU 37%, former CEMA countries, China, Yugoslavia 17%, US
and Canada 7%, Arab countries 6% (1993 est.)

External debt: $21.2 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $259 million (1993)

Currency: 1 Syrian pound (LS) = 100 piastres

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (LS) per US$1 - 11.225 (official
fixed rate), 26.6 ("blended rate" used by the UN and diplomatic
missions), 42.0 ("neighboring country rate" - applies to most state
enterprise imports), 48.0 - 52.0 (offshore rate) (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation
--------------

Railways:
total: 1,998 km
broad gauge: 1,766 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 232 km 1.050-m gauge

Highways:
total: 31,569 km
paved: 24,308 km (including 712 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,261 km (1991 est.)

Waterways: 870 km; minimal economic importance

Pipelines: crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km

Ports: Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus

Merchant marine:
total: 99 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 294,355 GRT/454,990 DWT
ships by type: bulk 12, cargo 85, li