Damascus, Mar. 20 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Friday Syria’s economy is rebounding sharply after years of decline, citing a budget surplus and projecting GDP will return to pre-war levels as reconstruction and wage increases accelerate.
Speaking after receiving Eid al-Fitr congratulations at the People’s Palace in Damascus, the president said: “Everyone knows that the situation had been deteriorated, and in numbers, the GDP in 2010 was $60 billion, then things deteriorated, and after liberation, statistics indicated that it had decreased significantly.”
President al-Sharaa added that government spending in Syria in 2024 reached $2 billion. “In 2025, we achieved a growth rate of approximately 30 to 35 percent, with GDP reaching around $32 billion and spending reaching $3.5 billion. For the first time in Syria, there was a budget surplus,” he said.
“The budget approved for 2026 is estimated at $10.5 billion, with an increase of approximately five times the 2024 budget. This is a very significant achievement that we accomplished in just over a year,” the President affirmed.
The president said: “We expect GDP to reach between $60 and $65 billion this year, returning to the levels of 2010, which will have a positive impact on services.”
President al-Sharaa stressed that the state has priorities, including ending the issue of camps and enabling people to return to their villages and towns destroyed by the deposed regime.
“We have developed a plan and allocated a significant amount of money to rehabilitate infrastructure in the destroyed villages and towns, particularly in rural areas of Idlib, Aleppo, northern Hama, northern Latakia, parts of Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and Deir Ezzor. We will allocate a fund to support infrastructure with no less than $3 billion, which will be funded through government spending rather than aid or loans,” the President said.
President al-Sharaa added that the Syrian government will allocate a special sum for the eastern regions — Deir Ezzor, Hasakah and Raqqa— focusing on services such as hospitals, schools and roads, alongside improving infrastructure and services in other cities.
President al-Sharaa said the state has approved a minimum wage following recommendations from the Ministry of Finance, taking into account poverty rates.
“We have also approved a 50 percent increase in salaries and wages for all public sector employees, and there are specific increases for doctors, engineers and some specialized institutions such as inspection agencies and many others,” the President added.
Regarding the regional situation, the President said Syria has been an arena of conflict for more than 15 years, but now enjoys good relations with neighboring countries regionally and internationally, while maintaining full solidarity with Arab states.
“What is happening now is a major and rare event in history that we haven’t witnessed since World War II. We are carefully calculating our steps and working to keep Syria away from any conflict, so that it can maintain its path of development and reconstruction,” the President said.
“Upon liberation, we said we would increase wages by 400 percent. Today, with the improved exchange rate, wages have increased by approximately 550 percent with the recent increases, and some special increases have reached as high as 1200 percent,” President al-Sharaa said.
The president added that the state’s mission is to empower its citizens as much as possible, noting that these steps mark a beginning toward a level that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people and strengthens their sense of belonging.
As for parliament, President al-Sharaa said the first session of the People’s Assembly was delayed as the state preferred to wait until elections in recently liberated areas were completed, given public expectations for the Assembly to represent their concerns.
K.A.A
