Syrian Center for Policy Research:

• The bulletin provides an independent assessment of consumer prices and inflation rates in all Syrian regions based on a monthly survey of consumer prices carried out by the Syrian Center for Policy Research (SCPR) since October 2020. The SCPR had developed a methodology for building a price index based on components of the consumer basket, weighting, and market selection (See SCPR’s Consumer Price Index in Syria)
• The Year on year (Y-o-Y) inflation rate reached 15.4 per cent during August 2025 compared to August 2024, and monthly inflation rates varied during this period. Two price shocks occurred: the first in December 2024, when prices rose by 15 per cent as a result of decisions to significantly raise the prices of bread, diesel, gas, and gasoline; and the second in July 2025, coinciding with the siege of As-Sweida. These shocks indicate the presence of structural pressures on the economy.
• The overall Month on month (M-o-M) inflation rate in all Syrian governorates, excluding As-Sweida, reached 6.8 per cent during August 2025. Four main governorates recorded high monthly inflation rates during the month: Homs (13.6 per cent), Quneitra (12.8 per cent), Rural Damascus (10.9 per cent), and Aleppo (9.7 per cent), reflecting a sharp rise in housing rents and energy prices.
• As-Sweida governorate witnessed a price contraction of 37.6 per cent during August 2025, following a severe inflationary shock of 138 per cent in the previous month. Despite this contraction, the price index for the governorate for this month remained 1.48 times higher compared to the June 2025 index. The governorate continues to suffer from an acute economic crisis as a result of the partial siege.
• An analysis of the contribution to the monthly inflation rate of 6.8 per cent in all Syrian governorates (excluding As-Sweida) indicates that inflation is essentially cost-push inflation, concentrated on two main groups controlling more than 91 per cent of inflationary pressures. The “Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and Other Fuels” group leads, constituting about two-thirds of total inflation, which confirms the significance of the impact of sharp increases in energy, fuel, and rent prices on inflation. The “Food and Beverages” group comes second with a contribution of 26 per cent, reflecting the impact of rising operating costs, transport, and drought on the basic food basket.
• The Central Bank of Syria continued to fix the official exchange rate (for remittances and exchange) at the level of SYP 11,055 per USD during August 2025, while the informal exchange rate showed acute fluctuation. It stood at SYP 10,414 per USD at the beginning of the month and reached 11,146 in the middle of the month, thereby exceeding the official rate.
• The average monthly wage for a university graduate employee in the public sector (at entry level) in Syria reached approximately SYP 1.12 million in August 2025. Meanwhile, the average monthly wage for a worker in the private sector reached SYP 1.17 million, whereas the civil sector employee recorded SYP 2.49 million during the same month.
• The household abject poverty line (as an indicator of food deprivation) at the national level in Syria in August 2025 reached SYP 2.87 million monthly. The lower poverty line reached SYP 4.37 million, and the upper poverty line reached SYP 6.03 million. Poverty lines recorded their highest levels in the governorates of Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and As-Sweida, while the governorates of Al-Hasakeh, Deir-Ezzor, and Lattakia recorded the lowest poverty line values during August 2025.

  Monthly Inflation (M-o-M) for consumer prices in Syria during August 2025 (in per cent)

  

Categories: August, Bulletins, Monthly Bulletins, Monthly Bulletins 2025, Publication

Tags: Monthly Bulletin, SCPR, Syria