The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that Syria recorded one of the largest waves of returns over the past year, with the number of returnees increasing almost threefold compared to 2024, following the fall of the former Syrian regime in December 2024.

The UNHCR said in its annual report issued on Thursday (June 11th) that the number of returnees to Syria reached about 1.3 million people during 2025, which contributed to the decline in the number of Syrian refugees globally from about 6 million to 4.9 million by the end of 2025.

UNHCR data showed that the bulk of the return movement took place across the border, with some 634,000 people returning from Turkey, 621,000 from Lebanon, and 284,000 from Jordan, with a disparity in the distribution of returnees within the Syrian governorates.

The data indicated that women constituted 52% of the total returnees compared to 48% of males, with a clear diversity in age groups, as the group between the ages of 18 and 59 accounted for the largest percentage of returnees, an indication of the nature of the extensive family return.

At the geographical level inside Syria, UNHCR revealed that the return of the population was concentrated in the governorates of Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Rural Damascus and Homs, with a noticeable disparity between regions, stressing that these figures remain estimated and can be updated as monitoring operations continue, and do not represent a final outcome of the situation on the ground.

5.4 million people displaced by 2025

At the international level, the report noted that 2025 witnessed a historic decline in the number of forcibly displaced people around the world for the first time in more than a decade, while Syria was ranked among the six countries that accounted for the largest part of returns, along with Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar.

Some 5.4 million people around the world were forced to flee their homes last year, bringing the total number of refugees or people living in refugee-like situations around the world to 41.6 million, according to the UNHCR report.

Despite UNHCR's relative optimism, High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Saleh stressed that returnees continue to face fragile conditions and harsh challenges, most notably the widespread destruction of infrastructure and homes, severe shortages of basic services such as electricity, water and education, and the difficulty of securing jobs in an economy undergoing a complex recovery and transformation.

UN Plans for Relief for Returning Syrians

The UN's relief plans in Syria are currently focused on a gradual transition from emergency assistance to early recovery programmes, in an attempt to keep pace with the massive waves of returns and provide a minimum level of stability for returnees. This approach reflects a UN recognition that the country needs a combination of humanitarian support and basic services that will allow life to gradually return to the affected areas.

UN agencies are working to rehabilitate homes and service facilities by repairing partially damaged housing, rehabilitating water, sanitation and electricity networks in areas receiving the largest number of returnees, as well as equipping schools and health centres to ensure access to education and primary care for children and parents.

In parallel, cash-for-work programmes are being implemented that provide temporary employment opportunities for youth and women in rubble removal, neighbourhood clean-up and restoration of public facilities, as well as support for the agricultural sector through the provision of seeds, fertilizers and irrigation equipment, small grants and vocational training to enable returnees to establish small-scale independent enterprises.

The UN focuses on legal protection by assisting returnees in the extraction of lost identification documents such as identities, birth certificates and title deeds, in order to guarantee their rights and facilitate their movement.