Refugees from Syria worldwide
20254.9 million
people
Change from previous period -1.1 million people (-18.3%) vs 2024
Displacement and return observatory
Pages for understanding refugees, returns, internal displacement, and population change through connected indicators, sources, and methodology.
Pages for understanding refugees, returns, internal displacement, and population change through connected indicators, sources, and methodology.
4.9 million
people
Change from previous period -1.1 million people (-18.3%) vs 2024
1.3 million
people
Change from previous period +828.4 thousand people (+161.6%) vs 2024
5.5 million
people
Change from previous period -1.9 million people (-25.2%) vs 2024
5.9 million
people
These are field estimates from IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) baseline rounds, activated in Syria from February 2025 after the December 2024 shift — not a registration of individuals. They count internally displaced persons and returnees per governorate per round, and figures are revised round to round. They differ methodologically from UNHCR registration counts, so the two should not be summed or directly compared.
Change from previous period -2,424.0 people (0.0%) vs 2026-03
2.1 million
people
These are field estimates from IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) baseline rounds, activated in Syria from February 2025 after the December 2024 shift — not a registration of individuals. They count internally displaced persons and returnees per governorate per round, and figures are revised round to round. They differ methodologically from UNHCR registration counts, so the two should not be summed or directly compared.
Change from previous period +39.8 thousand people (+2.0%) vs 2026-03
For most of the conflict more Syrians were displaced inside the country than had fled abroad; both counts fall in 2025 as some people return. They are distinct populations, not one summed total.
After more than a decade of displacement, UNHCR data since 2024 records a clear acceleration in returns — both trends shown from the same source.
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