Profile
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 |
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| Syria | ||
| Leader | ||
| President Bashar al-Assad | ||
Country data
| Iran | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012f | 2013f |
| Nominal GDP ($bn) | 40.4 | 52.6 | 53.9 | 60 | na | na | na |
| GDP per capita ($) | 2,014 | 2,554 | 2,557 | 2,803 | na | na | na |
| Real GDP growth (annual change, %) | 5.7 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 3.4 | na | na | na |
| Government revenue (% of GDP) | 22.7 | 20.1 | 23.8 | 21.8 | na | na | na |
| Government total expenditure (% of GDP) | 25.7 | 23 | 26.7 | 26.6* | na | na | na |
| Total government debt (gross, % of GDP) | 43 .2 | 37.4 | 31.4 | 29.4* | na | na | na |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -0.2 | -1.3 | -3.6 | -3.3* | na | na | na |
| Value of oil imports | 4.3 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 3.5* | na | na | na |
| Value of oil exports | 4.4 | 5.5 | 3.3 | 5* | na | na | na |
| Inflation (%) | 4.7 | 15.2 | 2.8 | 4.4 | na | na | na |
| Click to see full economic data (2005 - 2017 forecast) | |||||||
| Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database; Last updated: March 2013; *=Estimate | |||||||
News & analysis
UN condemns Syria for human rights violations Subscription
General assembly calls for transitional government
Iraq’s rising sectarianism
Civil war in Syria likely to affect the delicate Shia-Sunni balance in Iraq
Syria war stokes Iraq sectarianism Subscription
Rising violence in Iraq leads to fears of new sectarian conflict between Shias and Sunnis
US and Russia to convene Syrian peace conference Subscription
Old rivals agree to work together in bid to end two-year civil war
Russia and US to hold Syria talks Subscription
Russian president will meet with US Secretary of State about continuing crisis
Al-Assad tells West they will pay ‘high price’ Subscription
Syria’s president stands defiant against rebels
Can a country buy its own security?
Defence spending in the region is on the rise, but amassing an arsenal is not the best way to run a country
Region steps up military spending Subscription
Defence expenditure in Middle East and North Africa rose in 2012 as global spending declined
Syria opposition losing its way
The rebels’ credibility as a political force ready to run Syria after Bashar al-Assad is being eroded due to internal squabbles
Syrian opposition struggles with factionalism Subscription
Syrians who rose up against the Al-Assad regime have been let down by a fragmented opposition
Syrian helicopter fires rockets in Lebanon Subscription
Helicopter flew 19 kilometres into Lebanon to launch attack
Syrian opposition takes seat at Arab League summit Subscription
Arab League states authorised to provide military assistance to Syrian opposition
Special reports
Syria: An economy close to collapse Subscription
Whoever leads Syria after the civil war ends faces a mammoth task in getting the country running again
Companies
People
Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib Subscription
Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib is president, National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
Hashem bin Abdullah Yamani Subscription
Hashem bin Abdullah Yamani is president, King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy
