Syria’s Reconstruction Bill Estimated at Ten Times 2024 GDP, Infrastructure Damage Tops $82 Billion
WASHINGTON, D.C: Rebuilding Syria after more than a decade of civil war is expected to cost approximately $216 billion, according to a massive assessment published by the World Bank on Tuesday.
The staggering cost is nearly ten times the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2024, highlighting the immense economic challenge facing the nation following years of devastating conflict.
Syria’s civil war began in 2011 after mass protests against the government of then-President Bashar al-Assad were met with a brutal crackdown, spiraling the nation into a protracted armed conflict.
The resulting fighting destroyed large swathes of the country and severely damaged critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid.
The World Bank’s report estimates the total rebuilding cost could range between $140 billion and $345 billion, but the stated $216 billion figure represents their “conservative best estimate.”
A breakdown of the costs reveals the extent of the damage across different sectors, Infrastructure: Rebuilding is estimated at $82 billion (€70 billion), a category that was battered heavily during the war. Residential Buildings: Damages are estimated to cost $75 billion (€64 billion) to repair. Non-Residential Structures: The estimated cost for non-residential buildings is $59 billion (€50 billion).
According to the assessment, the regions requiring the most significant investment are the province of Aleppo and the Damascus countryside, both of which were the sites of fierce battles during the conflict.