Over Two Million Syrians Return Home After Assad’s Fall
UNHCR Reports Mass Return of Refugees and IDPs as Transitional Government Begins Reconstruction Phase.
Watan-More than two million displaced Syrians — both refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) — have returned to their home regions since the fall of the previous regime last December, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Speaking from Beirut on Thursday, ahead of his visit to Damascus, Grandi described the returns as “a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions.”
In a post on X, Grandi wrote, “Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced persons have returned home since December,” calling the trend a positive signal in an otherwise volatile environment.
Following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, gradual returns began from inside Syria and abroad, particularly from neighboring countries like Lebanon and Turkey. However, widespread destruction and the collapse or absence of infrastructure continue to hinder the return of many more.
The UNHCR estimated in June that more than 500,000 Syrians had returned from abroad. That same month, Turkey announced the return of over 273,000 Syrian refugees to their homeland since December.
I am in Lebanon, heading to Syria for #WorldRefugeeDay.
Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December—a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions.
This proves that we need political solutions—not another wave of instability and displacement.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) June 19, 2025
The war, which erupted in 2011 after the Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on popular protests, displaced nearly half of Syria’s population. The majority of internally displaced persons found refuge in camps in and around Idlib in the northwestern part of the country.
The new Syrian authorities, under the leadership of transitional President Ahmad Al-Shara’a, are attempting to revitalize the economy following the lifting of Western sanctions. They are laying the groundwork for a reconstruction process that the UN estimates will cost over $400 billion.
Despite these returns, around 13.5 million Syrians remain displaced or in refugee status, according to UNHCR figures.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) stressed that the main obstacle to further returns remains the lack of economic opportunities and essential services. These conditions must improve significantly to support sustainable reintegration and long-term stability.
