UNHCR records more than 681,000 Syrian refugee returns since January 2025
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – More than 681,000 Syrians registered with the UN refugee agency have returned to Syria since January 2025, with most returning spontaneously, according to new figures released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
UNHCR said that 681,612 Syrians had been inactivated from its records after returning to Syria or following prolonged absence and loss of contact.
The figure includes refugees whose return was confirmed by UNHCR, as well as individuals removed from the agency’s records after extended periods without contact.
According to the UN agency, 87 percent of the recorded returnees, or 591,396 people, returned spontaneously to Syria.
This group includes 65,500 Syrians who returned under duress in late 2024 and remained in Syria, accounting for 11 percent of the total spontaneous returns.
Another 112,372 Syrians, representing 19 percent, were identified by Lebanon’s General Security Office while crossing into Syria through official border crossings without completing a repatriation form, UNHCR said.
The agency also recorded 35,903 people, or 6 percent, as having returned due to force majeure after March 2, 2026.
Meanwhile, 377,621 Syrians, representing 64 percent of those recorded as spontaneous departures, were inactivated from UNHCR’s database because of prolonged absence or loss of contact, or after their return was confirmed through interviews with family members.
UNHCR noted that the dates shown in its spontaneous departure data reflect when individuals were inactivated from its database rather than their actual date of departure.
The agency said this accounts for the high number of inactivations recorded in December 2025, following the completion of a presence verification exercise.
The figures underscore the continuing movement of Syrian refugees back to the country as conditions inside Syria and across the region continue to change, although humanitarian agencies have repeatedly stressed the importance of ensuring that returns are voluntary, safe and dignified.