The country’s civil war enters its fifth year this month, and life for those on the ground is looking increasingly bleak.

Syria’s civil war enters its fifth year this month. The multi-sided conflict has drawn in countries ranging from Syria’s Middle Eastern neighbors to the U.S. and Russia, and has provided fertile ground for the Islamist group ISIS.

A girl walks amongst damaged buildings in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus on March 4.

Bassam Khabieh / Reuters

A new U.N.-backed report paints a pretty bleak picture of what life’s like on the ground. Its most shocking finding is that life expectancy in Syria dropped from 76 years in 2010 to an estimated 56 years in 2014.

A boy carries bread as he makes his way through the Douma neighborhood of Damascus on March 4.

Bassam Khabieh / Reuters

Over half of Syria's pre-war population have fled their homes during the conflict, according to the report, carried out by the Syrian Center for Policy Research with support from the U.N. The bulk of that group have remained displaced within Syria. Around 200,000 people have died in the conflict so far.

View Entire List ›