Syria is a republic under authoritarian rule, currently experiencing ongoing civil conflict since 2011 that has severely disrupted governance and economic activity. The country's economy, once middle-income and diversified, has been devastated by over a decade of war, with GDP shrinking by more than 60% since 2010. Key economic sectors before the conflict included agriculture (wheat, cotton, olives), petroleum and natural gas production, textiles, food processing, beverages, and tobacco, along with a growing services sector and tourism to historic sites. Syria's strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa historically made it an important trade route and regional hub. The economy now faces catastrophic challenges including widespread infrastructure destruction, massive population displacement (over 6 million refugees, 6 million internally displaced), international sanctions, currency collapse, lack of investment, brain drain, and partition of territory among various controlling forces, making economic recovery extremely difficult without political resolution and international reconstruction assistance.