Deaths, refugees and damage: Syria’s crisis in figures

DAMASCUS, Syria – More than 150,000 people have been killed and more than a half million wounded in Syria’s three-year conflict, which has also displaced millions of people and devastated the economy.

Key figures follow on the casualties and damage in the conflict, which started in March 2011 with peaceful protests for reform but escalated into all-out civil war after the government launched a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Casualties

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday, April 1 that at least 150,344 people had been killed since March 2011 on both sides of the conflict. The toll from the Britain-based group, which relies on a network of contacts inside Syria, includes 51,212 civilians, among them 7,985 children. (READ: Syria’s children starving and scared as war drags on)

At least half a million more people have been wounded, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Observatory says 17,000 people are missing and “tens of thousands” are held in regime prisons.

Refugees and displaced

The United Nations now identifies Syrians as the world’s largest refugee population, with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees saying 2.6 million Syrians have registered as refugees in neighbouring countries in the Middle East.

More than 992,000 of them are in Lebanon.

An additional 588,979 refugees are in Jordan, 667,496 in Turkey, 221,791 in Iraq and 135,000 in Egypt, according to UN figures.

Another 6.5 million have been displaced within Syria itself.

Material damage, economic consequences

The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned the situation in Syria is “catastrophic,” and urges greater field access for aid.

According to the United Nations the situation is “critical,” with 40% of hospitals destroyed and 20% of the others not functioning properly. Syria’s economic output has fallen by around 45%, while the local currency has lost 80% of its value.

Oil minister Suleiman al-Abbas said in mid-February oil production has plunged by 96% since the start of the uprising. – Rappler.com