Almost two years after Bachar al-Assad’s downfall, Syria is going through a “normalisation” process. Some 1.8 million refugees have returned to Syria from neighbouring countries, including Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, between December 2024 and 31 August 2026.
In addition, over two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
“This historic wave of return…is a profound sign of hope,” Tom Fletcher the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs said in a briefing to the Security Council 17 September 2026. “Improved security, eased sanctions and resilient communities are driving this recovery.”
However, official assisted-return figures from Germany and Sweden are in the low thousands and low hundreds respectively. These two countries had the highest number of Syrian refugees in Europe since the beginning of the civil war in 2011.
In Germany, by the end of 2023, there were roughly 712,000 people with refugee or related protection status. In Sweden, the number was between 150,000 to 200,000.
© UNHCR/Hameed Maarouf
Millions remain refugees
More than 15 years after the Syrian conflict began, the country remains one of the world’s most complex and urgent humanitarian crises. What started in March 2011 — when peaceful protests in the southern city of Daraa were met with violence — quickly escalated into a nationwide conflict that uprooted millions. In total, 14 million people were forced to leave their homes during the civil war.
Although there has been a substantial increase in returns since the fall of the Assad government in December 2024, millions of Syrians remain displaced. Almost 3.9 million Syrians remain refugees abroad. However, that is down from over 6.7 million at its peak. Türkiye alone hosted the highest number, over 3.6 million Syrian refugees. That number has fallen to around 2.2 million while almost 900,000 are still in Lebanon, close to 350,000 in Jordan and over 300,000 in Iraq according to UNHCR.
Furthermore, there are approximately six million IDPs inside Syria, down from a peak of around 7.4 million prior to 2025.
One of the world’s largest crises
Syria remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with some 70% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance. Out of a population of 25.6 million people, an estimated 15.6 million are in need of humanitarian assistance and more than seven million are facing acute food insecurity .
Syria is facing its worst drought-like conditions in 36 years. Crop failures in key regions have reduced wheat and barley yields, with FAO projecting a 70% wheat production deficit. The drought-like conditions have also severely impacted the country’s main water resources, affecting access for over 10 million people already struggling to meet basic water needs.
Health infrastructure remains severely strained after years of conflict. Many returnees face damaged infrastructure, limited basic services, livelihood challenges, documentation issues, and exposure to explosive ordnance, meaning humanitarian assistance will remain essential for the foreseeable future.
© UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
What is the UN doing?
The UN is heavily involved in Syria, mainly through humanitarian aid, refugee support, recovery assistance, and efforts to promote a political settlement. The UN and its partners provide food assistance, clean water and sanitation, healthcare services, shelter and emergency supplies, protection for women and children and support for people displaced by conflict and natural disasters.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, helps millions of Syrians who have been displaced inside Syria or have fled to neighbouring countries. Its work includes: Emergency relief items, protection services, community centres offering health and counselling support and assistance for Syrians returning home safely and voluntarily.
As some Syrians return to their communities, UN agencies are helping restore infrastructure, including health facilities, water and sewage systems, education services and food security programs.
The UN’s Office of the Special Envoy for Syria works with Syrian parties and international stakeholders to promote a Syrian-led political solution based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
Captions:
Syrian refugees returning from Türkiye carry their luggage at the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing point in rural Idlib, Syria, in February 2025.
© UNHCR/Hameed Maarouf
A Syrian mother and her daughter pictured on their return to Syria from Lebanon at the Jdeidet Yabous border crossing on 20 June 2025.
© UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
Several generations of a Syrian family sit in the tent they erected on the site of their destroyed home.
© UNHCR/Hameed Maarouf
People flee as hostilities escalated in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate in January 2026.
Photo: OCHA/ Ali Haj Suleiman