Syrian Center for Policy Research:

The bulletin provides an independent assessment of consumer prices and the rate of inflation 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 consumer basket, weighting, and market selection (See SCPR’s Consumer Price Index in Syria)

This bulletin presents the findings of the monthly consumer price survey and the changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May 2024 (with 2021 as the base year) broken down by region and the major consumption groups. Based on the CPI changes, the bulletin provides an estimate of the cost of living and poverty lines at the local level in all Syrian regions.

The following results are highlighted:

• In May 2024, the general CPI achieved an annual inflation (Y-o-Y) of 113.2 per cent and a monthly inflation (M-o-M) of 2.4 per cent.
• In May 2024, Aleppo Governorate recorded the highest monthly inflation rate (M-o-M) at 7.7 per cent, followed by Homs Governorate at 5.2 per cent, while Idleb Governorate maintained the prices of most goods and services during May 2024.
• In May 2024, the Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuel oils group  contributed significantly to the monthly inflation (M-o-M) with 2.4 per cent, making up 44.8 per cent of the total, followed by the group of Food and non-alcoholic beverages with a contribution of 18.2 per cent, trailed by the Transportation group at 8.1 per cent.
• The inflation that occurred in May 2024 led to a decrease in the real wages of workers in the public sector in the AA areas by 3.9 per cent compared to April 2024. Inflation also led to a decrease in the real wages of employees in the institutions of the GoS areas by 3 per cent, and the SIG & SSG areas increased by 1.3 per cent.
• In May 2024, the abject poverty line for families, serving as an indicator of food insecurity, rose to SYP 2.65 million per month, marking an increase of SYP 55 thousand from April 2024. The lower poverty line increased by SYP 87 thousand from the previous month to reach 4.17 million, while the upper poverty line saw an SYP 120 thousand increase, reaching 5.76 million.
• In May 2024, the wage gap from the upper poverty line reached 75 per cent for university-educated employees in the public sector, 64.7 per cent for private sector workers, and 2.7 per cent for civil society workers.

Categories: Bulletins, May, Monthly Bulletins, Monthly Bulletins 2024, Publication

Tags: Monthly Bulletin, SCPR, Syria