scus's failure to implement extensive
economic reform. The dominant agricultural sector remains
underdeveloped, with roughly 80% of agricultural land still
dependent on rain-fed sources. Although Syria has sufficient water
supplies in the aggregate at normal levels of precipitation, the
great distance between major water supplies and population centers
poses serious distribution problems. The water problem is
exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and
increased water pollution. Private investment is critical to the
modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export sectors. Oil
production is leveling off, and the efforts of the nonoil sector to
penetrate international markets have fallen short. Syria's
inadequate infrastructure, outmoded technological base, and weak
educational system make it vulnerable to future shocks and hamper
competition with neighbors such as Jordan and Israel.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$41.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 2% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,500 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 21%
services: 53% (1997)

Population below poverty line: 15%-25%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15%-20% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 4.7 million (1998 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: services 40%, agriculture 40%,
industry 20% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12%-15% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.5 billion
expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (1996 est.)

Electricity--production: 19.3 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 63.73%
hydro: 36.27%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 19.3 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas,
olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Exports: $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: petroleum 65%, textiles 16%, food and live
animals 13%, manufactures 6% (1997 est.)

Exports--partners: Italy 18%, Germany 13%, France 12%, Turk