The economic impact of Syrian refugees

The United Nations said today that more than a half a million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries, as the try to flee the revolution raging in their own country.

So what impact is this having on the countries they’re now calling home?

Syria refugees are crossing the border into Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, says the BBC’s Ghadi Sari. That’s impacting the individual economies, as refugees seek out housing and jobs.

“There are different impacts in different countries,” says Sari. In Turkey, for example, the government has dealt with the refugee situation in an organized, systematic way — setting up camps with food and schools.

The problem, he says, lies in how long the struggle continues.

“The more we go on, the more there is a strain on the smaller economies in the region,” Sari points out. “And that’s what’s taking its toll now.”