Syria’s infrastructure crisis: healthcare, education, employment and energy

By Owen Armentrout

September 19, 2025

(Featured on The Borgen Project blog)

A woman on crutches walks past a tent encampment in Idlib, Syria. Source: Ahmed Akacha 

Syria slumped into a period of turmoil far before the fall of Assad. However, it continues to struggle despite the inception of the interim regime. Health care infrastructure, education, general employment and the energy sector have been downtrodden for years. The long-term effects of such a catastrophe have begun to compound. While significant efforts have been made to revive Syria’s infrastructure, progress remains married to consistent conflict.

Healthcare

According to UNICEF, “Half of the primary health care system in Syria remains offline. Two out of five sub-districts do not have functional primary health care facilities.” As of February 2025, more than 40% of Syria’s hospitals and more than 60% of primary health care facilities are offline. According to the U.N., as of December 2024, two million people live in Aleppo, yet fewer than eight hospitals remain operable.

On top of that, only around 20,000 medical staff are left in Syria. This leaves the ratio of health care workers to patients at 2.4 per 1,000, as opposed to the international standard of 4.5 per 1,000. Moreover, Al Jazeera has reported that there are currently more than five million people in Syria living with cancer. However, there are only three oncologists throughout the entire nation.

The hospitals remaining in operation are consistently full and hundreds of names are withering on waitlists waiting to receive prosthetics. Most health care facilities in northern Syria do not possess the equipment necessary to perform intensive surgeries, let alone have access to cancer and heart disease medication.

As of April, the Aid Fund for Syria reported distributing more than $18 million to support health care projects in northern Syria. The funding has assisted more than 65 medical facilities serving 1.9 million people, trained about 2,000 health care workers and contributed to more than 863,000 consultations.

Education and Employment

UNICEF stated that one in three schools in Syria has either been damaged, decimated, converted to military installations, or repurposed into civilian shelters. Thousands of educators have fled the country and nearly half of all children ages 5-17 do not attend school. Despite these figures, UNICEF reported in June that 365,000 children had received educational support and 27,000 teachers were trained across all 14 governorates.

Regardless, many of these children may still join the ranks of their compatriots, 37% of whom were unemployed as of June 2024, with 85% facing disguised unemployment, according to the BBC. However, that number may rise as the new regime announced the public sector will require only 550,000–600,000 employees, less than half its previous size. While mass layoffs have not yet occurred, many workers have already been placed on leave.

According to the Tahir Institute, the remaining employees will receive a 200% salary rise, bringing the average monthly wage to $68, just above the poverty line. In March, it was estimated that a family of five living in Damascus would require monthly earnings totaling $666. Of course, this also relates to the depreciation of the Syrian pound. From 2019 to 2024, the currency fell by more than 3,680% against the U.S. dollar, coupled with a rise in inflation. However, it also rose when Assad’s regime collapsed. However, it’s feared that this boost will be temporary.

While progress is made in small amounts, it is still made. In May, the International Labor Organization (ILO) reported implementing the Employment-Intensive Investment Program, which has created short-term jobs in infrastructure rehabilitation; in Aleppo, 140 jobs were generated through this system.

Energy

According to the Tahir Institute, overall infrastructure repair for Syria is estimated to cost between $250 billion and $400 billion. However, Reuters reports that the electrical grid will only cost the nation around $11 billion. Since the start of the civil war, energy production has reduced by 80%, partly because 70% of power plants and electrical lines are damaged. As of October 2024, more than 50% of Syria’s electrical grid is offline.

Power has long been rationed to less than four hours per day for those still connected. Setting aside structural damage, the main factor in this equation is a lack of oil and gas. Syrian Minister of Electricity Ghassan al-Zamel reported that while the ministry requires 23 million cubic meters of gas daily, it receives only 6.5 million. Similarly, only 4,500 of the 10,000 tons of fuel required per day are available.

Moreover, under Assad, the regime had developed plans to install 2,500 megawatts of solar energy, 1,500 megawatts of wind power and 1.2 million solar water heaters. However, it’s uncertain whether or not these projects will ever come to fruition under the new interim government. Regardless, as of June 30, President Trump has lifted sanctions on Syria. While oil and gas may still be inexplicably expensive, it’s a step in the direction of being able to rebuild and reduce Syria’s infrastructure crisis.

In addition, Syria has committed to a deal with Qatar for $7 billion to construct four gas-fueled power plants and a single solar plant. According to Reuters, the energy generated from these facilities is expected to produce 50% of Syria’s electricity and create 50,000-250,000 jobs. However, the deal states that Qatar will own and operate these facilities once completed.

Final Remarks

Perhaps once elections occur, Syria’s infrastructure crisis can be improved and the country can focus on areas that increase its GDP, creating more opportunities for its overwhelmingly impoverished. However, the future remains unclear.