Half of Syria’s Population Faces Food Insecurity

Syria is grappling with a deepening food crisis as the worst drought in 36 years slashes wheat production by nearly 40 percent, intensifying pressure on a cash-strapped government unable to secure large-scale imports.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned that around three million Syrians could face severe hunger, with more than half of the country’s 25.6 million people currently suffering from food insecurity.

Syrian experts say the crisis has been compounded by a significant drop in funding from international and UN organizations, worsening the humanitarian situation across the country. 

Millions of internally displaced Syrians remain unable to return to their original homes due to destroyed infrastructure and ongoing instability.

Sheikhmous Ahmed, head of the Office for Organizations and Humanitarian Affairs in Syria, said years of conflict have devastated the country’s infrastructure, agriculture and social life, fueling waves of internal displacement and external migration. He noted that the absence of a long-term economic recovery plan has deepened the humanitarian collapse.

Ahmed called on both Arab and international partners to provide urgent support for Syria’s economy, stressing the need to rebuild stability in the north and east, the country’s main agricultural hubs.

He also urged international companies to help restore oil fields, rehabilitate industrial and commercial infrastructure and reopen border crossings to global trade.

Syrian economist Khorshid Alika highlighted the devastating economic toll of the conflict, pointing out that factories were abandoned or destroyed, while much of the skilled workforce fled. The education system, both at school and university levels, has sharply deteriorated, leaving millions of students without access to learning and driving illiteracy rates higher.

Alika added that the Syrian pound has lost over 93 percent of its value, while domestic production and exports have collapsed, forcing the country to rely almost entirely on imports and remittances. Despite signing economic and trade agreements with Arab and foreign companies, he noted that these deals have yet to deliver any tangible results.

He also warned that international aid to Syria has significantly declined, while political instability has made services scarce and unaffordable for most households. The average income now covers only a few days of living expenses, leaving millions on the brink of poverty.