More than half of the Syrian refugee population in Lebanon are living in extreme poverty, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Friday (December 15th).
Of this number, the vast majority live below the poverty line, AFP reported.
More than a million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in March 2011.
Over the past six years, the refugee population has sunk further into debt and poverty, UNHCR said, with 58% of households now living in extreme poverty, defined as less than $2.87 per person a day.
That is an increase of 5% since last year, UNHCR said in an annual survey.
The survey found 76% of refugees were living below the poverty line, defined as less than $3.84 per person a day, and that nearly 90% of refugees were in debt.
"Syrian refugees in Lebanon are barely keeping afloat," said UNHCR's Lebanon representative Mireille Girard. "Most families are extremely vulnerable and dependent on aid from the international community."
The survey also reported a jump in school enrollment of refugee children between the ages of 6 and 14, with 70% now registered. But the report found just 12% of adolescent refugees had finished their education.
