A new statistic conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Syria, whose results were recently published, shows that a large number of Syrian families are now content with just one meal a day due to the severe decline in living and economic conditions.
The Director of the Central Bureau of Statistics, Adnan Hamidan, explained in a statement to the state-run Al-Baath newspaper on Wednesday, October 16, that the sample size targeted by the food security survey included 24,840 families.
He noted a significant rise in the proportion of food-insecure individuals among most families, with many of them only having one meal.
Since 2015, the Central Bureau of Statistics has been conducting the survey in eight phases, covering all Syrian governorates, in cooperation with the Planning and International Cooperation Authority and the World Food Programme.
Hamidan pointed out that many of the families surveyed stated they consume only one meal a day, which is breakfast, and they usually have it around 2 PM, and rely on it throughout the day.
It cannot be stated that the situation is worse than in previous years, according to the director of the statistical office, due to the noticeable nutritional differences between provinces; it can be observed that one province might have poor nutritional status while another might be slightly better. However, he noted a clear decline in food security, as mere satiety is not an indicator that an individual is food-secure.
13 million Syrians suffering
According to a statistic published by the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry, on September 10, 13 million Syrians suffer from severe food insecurity.
The report documented over 650,000 Syrian children showing signs of stunting due to severe malnutrition, adding that “Syria is descending into a worrying humanitarian crisis.”
8.5 million Syrian pounds as the minimum living cost
By the end of September, the average cost of living for a Syrian family of five had risen, according to the Kassioun Index for Living Costs, to over 13.6 million Syrian pounds, while the minimum cost was about 8.5 million pounds.
Meanwhile, the minimum wage remained fixed at 279,000 Syrian pounds (less than 19 US dollars) since the last increase occurred in February.