weighted score 2.7 · ten dimensions
Sourcing Attractiveness Index · ten dimensions
Syria
Labour cost, supply base depth, logistics infrastructure, trade access, and innovation scores for Syria as a sourcing destination.
Labour cost competitiveness
7
Extremely low nominal wages due to economic collapse. 90% poverty rate. However, low wages reflect destruction, not competitive advantage. Currency instability makes pricing uncertain.
Supply base depth
2
Pre-war manufacturing sectors (textiles, food processing, pharmaceuticals, cement) substantially destroyed. No functioning supply chain ecosystem. Reconstruction demand exists but supply capacity does not.
Logistics & infrastructure
2
Ports operational but reduced. Road network extensively damaged. Rail non-functional. Power at fraction of pre-war capacity. $216B reconstruction cost reflects infrastructure destruction.
Workforce skills
4
Pre-war Syria had a relatively educated workforce. 14 years of war disrupted education for a generation. Diaspora talent pool exists. Skills retraining at scale needed.
Scalability
4
Population of ~22 million provides labour pool. Reconstruction demand creates growth trajectory. But infrastructure, governance, and security conditions prevent near-term scaling of any productive sector.
Ease of doing business
1
TI CPI 2025: 15. Transitional government with no track record. Legal frameworks being rebuilt. No functional commercial courts. Property rights unclear. Remaining sanctions add compliance burden.
Trade access & tariffs
2
No EU FTA or GSP. Partial sanctions relief only. WTO accession suspended. No trade facilitation framework. Banking restrictions limit trade finance.
Sustainability baseline
1
Environmental regulation non-functional. War contamination (munitions, industrial destruction). Water infrastructure destroyed. No ESG audit infrastructure. No renewable energy at scale.
Innovation & IP
2
Research infrastructure destroyed. No patent activity. Diaspora talent pool exists but repatriation uncertain. IP protection framework non-functional.
Quality standards
2
National standards body (SASMO) status unclear. No accredited testing laboratories. ISO certification infrastructure non-existent. Quality managed ad hoc by individual operators.
Labour & Cost Competitiveness
Labour & Cost Competitiveness
- Wage levels
- Pre-war Syria had moderate wage levels for the region. Current wages are extremely low in real terms due to currency collapse and 90% poverty rate. However, low wages reflect economic destruction, not cost competitiveness.
- Workforce availability
- Population ~22 million but millions displaced internally and externally. 1.4 million refugees returned since Assad fell. Working-age population is available but traumatised, deskilled, and lacking employment infrastructure.
- Skills gap
- 14 years of civil war destroyed education infrastructure. An entire generation has disrupted education. Pre-war Syria had a relatively educated workforce; reconstruction will require massive skills retraining.
- Total cost of ownership
- Extremely high when security, insurance, logistics, and infrastructure deficits are factored in. No cost advantage for any manufacturing category in current conditions.
Supply Base & Infrastructure
Supply Base & Infrastructure
- Pre-war capacity
- Syria had textile, food processing, pharmaceutical, and cement manufacturing sectors. Aleppo was a major industrial centre. All substantially destroyed or degraded during the civil war.
- Reconstruction demand
- $216 billion estimated reconstruction cost. Demand for building materials, infrastructure equipment, engineering services, and construction labour will be enormous over coming decades.
- Port infrastructure
- Latakia and Tartous ports operational but capacity reduced. No direct container liner services to major EU ports. Trans-shipment via regional hubs required.
- Power & utilities
- Electricity generation at a fraction of pre-war capacity. Water infrastructure severely damaged. Reconstruction of utility networks is a prerequisite for any manufacturing recovery.
Trade Access & Business Environment
Trade Access & Business Environment
- Sanctions landscape
- EU partially lifted sanctions post-Assad. Energy, transport, and banking sanctions eased. Full normalisation requires transitional government progress. Remaining restrictions create compliance complexity.
- EU engagement
- EU pledged €620M for reconstruction and humanitarian support. Trade facilitation discussions ongoing but no formal framework. Syria has no EU FTA or GSP arrangement.
- WTO status
- Syria's WTO accession process was suspended during the civil war. Re-engagement would be part of any normalisation pathway but is years away.
- Regulatory environment
- Legal and regulatory frameworks being rebuilt from scratch. TI CPI 2025: 15. No functional commercial courts. Property rights framework unclear. Contract enforcement untested under transitional government.
Innovation, IP & Quality
Innovation, IP & Quality
- R&D capacity
- Pre-war universities in Damascus and Aleppo had some research capacity. Currently non-functional at pre-war levels. Diaspora talent pool is a potential resource for reconstruction but repatriation uncertain.
- Quality infrastructure
- National standards body (SASMO) was functional pre-war. Current status unclear. No accredited testing laboratories operational. ISO certification infrastructure non-existent.
- IP protection
- IP laws exist on paper but enforcement framework collapsed. No functioning patent office. Foreign IP holders have no reliable protection mechanism.
- Reconstruction innovation
- Reconstruction presents opportunities for innovative approaches to rebuilding — prefabricated construction, renewable energy leapfrogging, digital infrastructure. These are speculative but represent the primary innovation narrative.