UNHCR says 1.3 million Syrians returned home in 2025
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – About 1.3 million Syrians returned to their homes in 2025, making Syria one of the largest refugee return movements worldwide last year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Thursday.
The number of returnees nearly tripled compared to 2024 following the fall of the al-Assad regime in December 2024.
According to UNHCR’s annual report, released on Thursday and cited by Reuters, approximately 1.3 million Syrians returned to their homes during 2025. The increase contributed to a decline in the global Syrian refugee population to around 4.9 million by the end of the year, down from nearly 6 million in 2024.
The agency noted that Syrian returns were part of a broader global trend that saw approximately 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced persons return to their areas of origin in 2025, representing a 50 percent increase compared to the previous year. The figure marks the second-highest annual total recorded since 1965.
The report identified Syria as one of six countries accounting for the majority of return movements worldwide, alongside Afghanistan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, and Myanmar.
Despite the increase in returns, UNHCR warned that many Syrians continue to face significant challenges upon returning home, including the need for reconstruction, improved basic services, employment opportunities, and greater stability in several parts of the country.