Syria
An elderly man and a child walk amidst debris in a residential block hit by explosives in Syria's northern Aleppo province. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The World Bank on Tuesday estimated the cost of rebuilding Syria after more than 13 years of conflict at $216 billion, underlining that it remains one of the most significant challenges facing the country’s new leadership.
“Syria’s reconstruction costs are estimated at $216 billion after more than thirteen years of conflict,” the World Bank stated in its latest report, which reviewed damage to infrastructure and buildings from 2011 through 2024.
The report added that “the conflict has damaged nearly one-third of Syria’s pre-conflict gross capital stock, with direct physical damages to infrastructure, residential buildings and non-residential buildings estimated at $108 billion.”
Among the assessed categories, infrastructure was the most affected, accounting for 48 percent of total damage - equivalent to $52 billion.
The World Bank estimated the overall cost of physical assets to range between $140 billion and $345 billion, settling on a "conservative best estimate" of $216 billion, noting that the provinces of Aleppo and the Damascus countryside sustained the greatest levels of destruction.
“The challenges ahead are immense, but the World Bank stands ready to work alongside the Syrian people and the international community to support recovery and reconstruction,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Middle East director, as quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The estimated reconstruction costs are nearly ten times greater than Syria’s projected GDP for 2024.
Following a swift offensive, a coalition of opposition groups - led by the now dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - in early December toppled the regime of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Since Assad’s fall, Syria’s new authorities have focused on attracting investment for reconstruction, signing agreements with various governments and companies, including from Gulf Arab states.
Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh described the World Bank report as “a critical baseline of the massive scale of destruction and of the reconstruction costs ahead,” AFP said.
“Now, more than ever, it is imperative for the international community to mobilize support and partnership to help Syria restore essential infrastructure, revitalize communities and lay the foundation for a more resilient future for its people,” he added.
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