The World Bank has placed Syria among the category of low-income countries in its annual report of the World Economy Classification issued at the beginning of the new fiscal year (July 2026), which is the lowest category in the world and includes only 25 countries out of 201 countries included in the classification, according to the methodology of measuring gross national income per capita in US dollars according to the Atlas mechanism.
According to the newly published report, Syria's ranking came as a result of the per capita national income remaining below $1,145 per year, which is the limit adopted for low-income countries this year.
According to semi-official reports and studies, Syria's continuation in this category is due to heavy economic accumulations over the past years, including historical inflation, declining industrial and agricultural production, and the effects of the transitional restructuring phase that monetary and financial institutions have been going through since the fall of the former regime in late 2024.
The regional comparison shows that most of the neighboring countries fall into higher rankings, with Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco classified as lower-middle-income countries, while Turkey, Iraq, and the Gulf states fall into the upper or upper middle categories.
Income categories are updated once a year on July 1, based on estimates of gross national income per capita during the previous calendar year.
According to the Bank, the estimate of gross national income is based on data collected by teams of economists in country units, and is based mainly on official statistics published by countries, and population estimates are based on multiple sources, including the United Nations Population Projections, which are issued every two years.
World Bank: Syria ranks 190th globally
The ranking showed that Syria is not the only Arab country in the category of low-income countries, as the list includes four other Arab countries, namely Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and the Comoros, bringing the total number of Arab countries out of only 25 countries classified in this category globally.
Syria's per capita national income reached $770 per year according to the World Bank's 2026 fiscal year classification, a new decline from the previous year's estimate of $830 per capita, deepening the country's position in the category of low-income economies.
According to World Bank data, Syria ranked 190th globally out of the 201 economies included in the report, meaning that only 11 countries record incomes lower than it, reflecting the continued heavy economic pressures the country is facing.
This figure puts Syria below the upper limit for the low-income category, which the World Bank set at $1,135 per capita in the fiscal year 2026 bulletin, which means that it remains among the lowest in the world.
Study: Sweeping reforms to move Syria out of the "low-income" category
This year, the Syrian government is implementing a package of economic reforms aimed at raising national income indicators per capita and improving the country's position in the World Bank's rankings, as part of a plan to gradually move out of the category of low-income countries.
According to a study conducted by "Syrian News", the plan relies on a new monetary path that begins with the launch of the new Syrian pound and the replacement of the old currency, in an attempt to control inflation and prevent the pricing of goods and services in foreign currencies, in a way that restores stability to the market and enhances purchasing power.
The government is betting on major infrastructure contracts to increase national income, foremost of which is the international fiber optic project "Silklink" in partnership with the Saudi company stc, in addition to the Kirkuk-Banias pipeline rehabilitation project in cooperation with Iraq, two projects that aim to raise transit and energy revenues and improve the economic infrastructure.
This coincides with the start of a comprehensive review of the General Budget Law by the new People's Assembly, which was formed today, July 1, 2026, with the aim of developing a flexible formula that encourages private investments and facilitates the return of capital, in a way that supports growth and increases state resources.
World Bank Expects Syrian Economy to Grow Between 2% and 4%
According to the World Bank's Spring 2026 update, the new forecasts indicate that the Syrian economy is beginning to move beyond the historic contraction phase, entering a gradual recovery path with modest growth of between 2.0% and 4.0% over the next two years.
The new update was based on direct monitoring of a number of field indicators, most notably the recovery of port traffic, the increase in trade activity, and the increase in air traffic, which prompted the Bank to raise its forecast for real GDP growth within a more optimistic range.
The World Bank warned of the risk of a contraction of GDP per capita by about 2.7 percent, as a result of the rapid rise in population growth rates and the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons, which puts pressure on the distribution of national income and limits the impact of growth at the individual level, according to the Bank.
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