‘We tasted the horrors of war’: Stories of refugees who returned home

In 2025, about 1.3 million Syrians returned home from other countries. This was nearly three times more than the year before. Another 2 million Syrians who had been displaced inside the country also went back.

This reduced the global Syrian refugee population from 6 million to 4.9 million.

On December 8, 2024, the al-Assad family's 54-year rule ended. Rebel forces removed them from power.

The 14-year war caused a huge migration crisis. About 6.8 million Syrians, or one-third of the population, fled the country at the war's peak in 2021. They sought safety wherever they could find it.

More than half of these refugees, about 3.74 million, settled in nearby Turkiye. Another 840,000 found safety in Lebanon, and 672,000 in Jordan.

Returning Home

Hiam told Al Jazeera that she and her family returned to Syria after living in another country for over 10 years. She explained that the high cost of living there pushed them to come back. "We stayed there for 12 years, and it was a great hardship for us as refugees."

She described the initial challenges of returning. "We returned to Syria, thank God, but in the beginning it was difficult because we didn’t find homes or anything. Syria now is completely different from when we left. The return was very difficult at first - the scene was very hard for me."

Hiam added, "But thank God, I became stronger. The first period was very difficult, and at the beginning, it was hard to cope."

UNHCR data shows that about 556,000 Syrians returned from Turkiye. Another 465,000 came back from Lebanon, and 256,000 from Jordan.

More than 70% of those who returned reported better security and freedom to move around in Syria. Almost three-quarters of Syrian refugees abroad also said they would like to return home eventually.

By mid-May 2026, 549,800 people had returned. This increase was partly due to worsening conditions in Lebanon.