management problems, and much of the private sector is
hobbled by a shortage of capital. The economic benefits of any peace
treaty with Israel will depend in large part on the pace of economic
reform.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $98.3 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,300 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 18%
services: 54% (1994)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 20% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
total: 4.7 million (1995 est.)
by occupation: services 40%, agriculture 40%, industry 20% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3 billion
expenditures : $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)

Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco,
phosphate rock mining

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (1994)

Electricity - capacity: 4.16 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 14.25 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 902 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas;
beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk

Exports:
total value: $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: petroleum 56%, food and live animals 16%, textiles 16%
(1994 est.)
partners: EU 57% (Germany 17%, Italy 16%, France 11%), Lebanon 14%,
Saudi Arabia 7% (1995 est.)

Imports:
total value : $5.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities: machinery 25%, food and live animals 15%, transport
equipment 12%, chemicals 8% (1994 est.)
partners: EU 33% (Italy 9%, Germany 8%, France 4%), South Korea 4.5%,
US 4%, Japan 3% (1995 est.)

Debt - external: $22 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: $4.2 billion (1990-92)

Currency: 1 Syrian pound (LS) = 100 piastres

Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (LS) per US$1 - 41.9 (January 1997);
official fixed rate 11.225

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Syria:Communications

Telephones: 541,465 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable; coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey;
participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast station