The Syrian war's economic toll: By the numbers

In two years of conflict, Syria has lost almost 40 percent of its GDP

Dar Al-Shifa hospital
(Image credit: AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)

In just over two years, Syria's civil war has devastated the once relatively safe and thriving Middle Eastern country. One in five schools and one in three hospitals are out of service, and of the total estimated 100,000 deaths, more than a third have been civilians. An additional million or more people have fled Syria's boarders in search of safety.

Though the economic toll pales in comparison to the human toll, the two are inextricably bound. When schools, hospitals, and business are bombed, access to education, health care, and income are strangled, which has a lasting effect on people's lives, impeding their ability to work, produce capital, and build a healthier, wealthier society for future generations.

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Carmel Lobello is the business editor at TheWeek.com. Previously, she was an editor at DeathandTaxesMag.com.