Refugees of the Syrian civil war

Refugees of the Syrian civil war are people who had to leave their homes in Syria because of the fighting and trouble during the Syrian civil war. Before the war, Syria had about 22 million people living there. But after the war started in 2011, many people had to leave. By 2016, more than six million people were moving around inside Syria, and about five million went to other countries looking for safety.

The war began when people started protesting, and the government tried to stop them with force. This led to more fighting and many people being forced to leave their homes. Countries around Syria, like Turkey, took in many of these refugees. Turkey had the most, with millions of Syrian refugees living there.

Even today, many Syrians are still affected by the war. Some have been hurt or lost their homes, and many are still trying to find safety and help. The United Nations has been working to support these refugees and help them find places to live safely.

Statistics

More than 13 million people from Syria had to leave their homes by October 2025. About 6.7 million of them left the country, with many going to Turkey. The rest moved to different parts of Syria.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees keeps track of how many people from Syria are seeking safety in other countries. These numbers come from local governments but do not include everyone who has found a new home permanently. The total number of people a country has helped may be higher.

History

Background

Main article: Syrian civil war

Life in Syria was very hard under the rule of the Ba'ath Party from 1963 to 2024, and conditions kept getting worse after 2008. When big protests started across several countries in 2010 and 2011, called the Arab Spring, people in Syria also began to protest. The Syrian government responded with force, and soon the situation turned into a civil war. Fighting broke out between the government and many groups, including people who wanted change and armed soldiers who left the army.

By May 2011, many people had already left Syria to escape the fighting, and large numbers were moving inside the country as well. The war caused huge problems for everyone, and many families had to flee their homes.

Development

The number of people leaving Syria grew quickly. By mid-2011, between 10,000 and 15,000 people had crossed into Turkey. Over time, more and more people became refugees, moving to countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. By the end of 2012, over 750,000 refugees had been registered in different countries.

As the war continued, millions more people were forced to leave their homes. By 2015, over 3 million Syrians had fled to neighboring countries, and many more were moving into Europe. This large movement of people caused big challenges for countries trying to help them.

Returns

Some refugees have returned to Syria since 2015, hoping to find their families or check on their homes. However, conditions in Syria remain very difficult, and many people still face serious challenges. The United Nations continues to warn that it is not safe for refugees to return.

Overall situation

Most refugees struggle to meet their basic needs. Many live in poor conditions, and finding work is very hard. They often rely on help from friends and family or short-term aid from organizations. Mobile phones have become very important for refugees, helping them stay connected and find information about services and support.

Shelter

Most refugees live in houses or tents, often paying more than local people for rent. Many struggle with crowded living spaces and lack of basic services like clean water.

Employment

Finding work is very difficult for refugees. Governments often issue few permits, and many refugees end up in informal jobs that pay little and can be unstable.

Property loss and confiscations

In 2018, the Syrian government passed a law allowing them to take property from people who were displaced by the war. This has made it even harder for refugees to return home.

Mobile technology

Main article: Mobile learning for refugees

Mobile phones have been very helpful for refugees. They use them to stay in touch, find information, and get support from others. Social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp help refugees share important details about where to find help or how to solve problems.

UN dispute over Syrian aid renewal

In December 2019, there was a disagreement at the United Nations about helping refugees from Syria. Some countries, like China and Russia, wanted to close some aid crossings, but others thought all the crossings were important to help people in need.

A United Nations official, Mark Lowcock, asked the UN to keep the aid crossings open. He explained that these crossings are the best way to get help to millions of refugees who are waiting for support.

In countries of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan

The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) helps coordinate support for Syrian refugees in nearby countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. It works with the United Nations and many groups to provide food, clean water, schooling for children, health care, shelter, and job help. However, funding is often not enough to meet all the needs.

Refugees mostly live in cities and towns rather than camps. Many face hard times and live below the poverty line. The countries where they settle struggle with crowded schools, hospitals, and homes.

Egypt began welcoming Syrian refugees after 2012, offering help with jobs and school for children. But after political changes in 2013, life became harder for Syrians there.

Jordan hosts many refugees, putting pressure on the country’s money and resources.

Lebanon has many Syrian refugees, making up a big part of the country’s population. This has caused economic problems and tensions.

Iraq, especially the Kurdistan Region, hosts many Syrian refugees, most of whom are ethnic Kurds.

Turkey hosts the most Syrian refugees of any country, with millions living there. The government provides help but faces challenges in supporting so many people.

In other Middle Eastern countries

By country

Armenia has offered help to Syrian refugees, especially those of Armenian heritage. The country has helped them become citizens and gave them places to live. By January 2017, there were 22,000 refugees in Armenia, mainly ethnic Armenians. There were also some families from the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and some Yazidi families who found safety there.

Azerbaijan reported that 43 Syrian refugees asked for protection there by 2019. Bahrain denied claims that they were changing their population by giving citizenship to Syrians. Israel, which shares a border with Syria, prepared to help some Syrian refugees, especially children, giving them temporary homes and rights. By early 2014, Iran sent large amounts of aid, like tents and blankets, to help refugees in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. Kuwait allowed about 120,000 Syrians to stay longer in the country. Saudi Arabia helped Syrians who already had family there and sent money to support refugees, though they are not officially recognized as refugees under international law.

In Europe

Main article: European migrant crisis

In August 2012, the first Syrian families traveled by sea to the European Union.

Because of rules called the Dublin Regulation, someone asking for safety in one EU country must stay there if they try to move to another EU country. In 2015, Hungary was struggling with many people asking for safety, so on June 23 it stopped letting other EU countries send people back to Hungary. Germany and the Czech Republic decided to stop using the Dublin rules for people from Syria and started handling their requests themselves. On September 21, leaders from EU countries agreed to a plan to welcome and share 120,000 people asking for safety across the EU, though not only from Syria. Some countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia did not agree, and Finland did not support it either. Some poorer countries were worried about the cost of helping many new families.

Many families moved into the EU, and by mid-2015 there were 313,000 requests for safety all over Europe. Germany had the most with over 89,000, and Sweden had over 62,000. In July 2015, over 100,000 families came to the EU, and by September, over 8,000 were arriving each day, with Syrians being the largest group.

By December 21, 2015, about 500,000 Syrian families had come to Europe, and 80 percent traveled by sea, mostly landing in Greece.

On February 19, 2016, Austria limited the number of families that could enter. Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia said they would only let 580 families in each day. Because of this, many Syrian families got stuck in Greece. There were worries that Greece would not be able to help the thousands waiting in places like Lesbos, Kos and Chios.

By country

Austria – In 2015, there were about 18,000 Syrian families in Austria. By 2018, there were 48,103 people from Syria living there.

Bulgaria – Bulgaria helped families traveling to Germany to ask for safety. In 2014, Bulgaria received 11,080 requests, and 56% were from Syrians. Of those, 94.2% were approved, making Bulgaria the country with the highest approval rate in the EU. From January to July 2015, there were about 9,200 requests to Bulgaria, with the same high approval rate.

In August 2013, the number of families entering Bulgaria increased suddenly. Bulgarian centers for families were full, and the government asked the EU and Red Cross for help.

Czech Republic – In October, a UN leader said the Czech Republic was treating travelers in very hard conditions.

Croatia – Croatia helped families traveling to Germany. Croatia shares a border with Serbia and in August 2015 began seeing many families after Hungary built a fence on its border with Serbia. Nearly 80% of the border is the Danube River, but there is a 70-kilometer area called the “Green Border” near Tovarnik that was difficult. The Croatian Minister of Interior said police had enough staff and tools to protect the border. The President and a Deputy Prime Minister said they would not build a fence. On September 15, 2015, Croatia saw its first big group of families from the Syrian war. Croatia closed its border with Serbia on October 19, 2015, because too many families were arriving.

Cyprus – By 2024 Cyprus had 30,000 Syrian families under special help.

Denmark – In September 2015, people in Denmark were worried about the families arriving and focused on helping those already there.

France – In November 2015, President François Hollande said France would welcome 30,000 families over two years, even after worries from the November 2015 Paris attacks a few days earlier.

Germany – In 2013, Germany got 11,851 requests from Syrians, and in 2014 that more than tripled to 39,332. By March 2015, Germany’s minister thought about 105,000 Syrian families had been welcomed. By June 2015, 161,435 Syrians lived in Germany, with 136,835 arriving after January 2011. After Germany stopped the Dublin rules for Syrian families, the numbers went up a lot, making it hard for Germany to handle. From January to July 2015, the office for safety got 42,100 requests. By the end of 2015, that number was 158,657. 96% of the requests were approved. Germany’s leader, Angela Merkel, said safety for people escaping war is very important. Even though her government let all Syrians in, they had to stop some train travel to control the numbers. In September, thousands of Germans clapped as Syrians arrived at Munich’s main railway station.

German police said on October 22, 2015, they stopped a bad plan by a group with bad ideas to attack a place for families in Bamberg. They also said there were almost 600 attacks on places for families in 2015, much more than 2014. Also, about 19–39,000 members of a group called Pegida marched on October 19, 2015, in Dresden against welcoming families. Some 14–20,000 other people marched against that idea. Angela Merkel’s open welcome was criticized, and a poll showed 61% of people felt less happy about welcoming families after some bad events. In September, German customs found fake Syrian papers that police thought were being sold to people not from Syria who wanted safety in Germany.

In April 2020, two former leaders from the Syrian army went to court in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, for things they did during the Syrian war. This was the first time Syrian army leaders were tried for their actions in the war.

By the end of 2022, 1,016,000 Syrian families lived in Germany.

Greece – Greece helped families traveling to Germany. In 2015, 385,525 families arrived by sea. It is thought only 8% (31,000 Syrian families) asked for safety in Greece because most were moving on to Europe. The Greek government wanted more help from the EU because of the cost, but did not get much. By September 2015, 15,000–17,000 families had landed on Lesbos island, which was too many for the people there to help. Many families also landed on Agathonisi, Farmakonisi, Kos, Lemnos, Leros, Rhodes, Chios, Samos, Symi, Kastellorizo and other islands near Turkey. Some came through the Evros border from Turkey. On February 19, 2016, Austria limited the number of families entering, and Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and North Macedonia said they would only let 580 families in each day. Because of this, many Syrian families and families from other countries were stuck in Greece. On February 22, 2016, leaders met in Brussels and agreed to make 100,000 more spaces for families in centers, with 50,000 in Greece and 50,000 in Balkan countries. But with 2–3,000 families arriving in Greece each day, these spaces were not enough.

On June 18, 2016, a UN leader praised Greece for being kind and helpful to families and asked for more help from other countries.

After a problem in Turkey in July 2016, Greek leaders on some Aegean Islands asked for urgent help to stop more families coming from Turkey because the number was going up. Athens leaders worried that people watching the deal in Greece had left after the problem in Turkey and might not come back. A group called the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises warned that the refugee situation might get worse because of problems in Turkey.

Hungary – Hungary helped families traveling to Germany. In the summer of 2015, Hungary was greatly affected by the situation. In December, Hungary took EU plans to share safety requests to a court. The border closed on September 15, 2015, with a fence on its southern borders, especially Croatia, and by stopping trains. The government said “people asking for safety” were looking for jobs, were dangers to safety and would “harm our culture”. Some people were attacked. The country sent many families away, and most were not allowed in.

Iceland – Iceland said it would welcome 50 Syrian families.

Italy – In 2013, the UN thought more than 4,600 families arrived in Italy by sea, and two-thirds came in August.

North Macedonia – North Macedonia helped families if they did not stay forever but went to Germany to ask for safety. In the summer of 2015, North Macedonia was one of the countries most affected, along with Hungary, Serbia, Italy and Greece.

Netherlands – The government said a center for people was damaged on purpose in October 2015. In Geldermalsen, over 2,000 people protested letting in families in December 2015.

Norway – Norway said it would welcome 8,000 families from Syria by the end of 2017 under a UN plan.

Poland – Poland welcomed 150 families, mostly from a certain group. Some right-side, far-right, and conservative groups won elections by saying they would not take any more families.

Romania – The European Commission asked Romania to welcome 6,351 families under an EU plan. Bloomberg News said “Romania’s government will ask the EU to let its people travel without visas in the Schengen area if EU leaders make people take families.”

Russia – The Russian government gave $24 million for families and gave safety to over 1,000. About 5,000 families have lived in Russia since 2012. Five hundred families from a certain group in Syria moved to Sochi. People from Syria have been going back to their old homes in Circassia. The Chechen and Ossetian groups in Syria have also tried to go back to their homes in the Caucasus.

Slovenia – At first, Slovenia helped families traveling to Germany. But by September 2015, Slovenia thought it might house “up to 10,000” families and make new paths for them because of tensions at its border with Croatia.

Slovakia – Slovakia said it would not welcome families from Turkey (who are mostly Syrians), but in December 2015 it did welcome 500 people asking for safety and 149 families from a certain group who came through Iraq. The Slovak government said it might take legal action against the EU because of a plan that would make Slovakia take almost 2,300 people.

Sweden – In September 2013, Sweden became the first EU country to give permanent homes to all people asking for safety and the right to bring their families, because conditions in Syria were getting worse. About 8,000 Syrian families in Sweden were affected. The decision was supported by a group in Sweden, but they also said it might make it harder for people to travel safely and cause arguments.

In September 2013, Swedish leaders said all people asking for safety would get permanent homes and the right to bring their families. Sweden was the first EU country to do this. The number of Syrians living in Sweden as families was 2,943 in 2012, 9,755 in 2013, and 18,827 in 2014, a total of 31,525 during this time. Also, another 9,028 Syrians joined their families in Sweden. During this time, Sweden also welcomed over 10,000 people without countries, many of whom were families that lived in Syria before.

In 2015, 51,338 Syrians asked for safety in Sweden. After 2015 the number went down a lot, to 5,459 in 2016, 4,718 in 2017, and 1,040 as of May 2018.

Switzerland – In March 2012, a UN group asked Switzerland to welcome some Syrian families, and the Swiss government said it was thinking about it. In March 2015, Swiss leaders set a goal to welcome 3,000 Syrian families over three years. By September 2015, 5,000 Syrian families had permission to live in Switzerland, and an additional 2,000 had asked and were waiting.

United Kingdom – The UK has given safety to 5,102 families so far, with 216 being helped to move there. The UK government’s plan has been criticized by groups that help people. In September, the government said it would welcome 20,000 families over five years from places near Syria. In May 2015, a survey showed that 42% of people in Britain said the country should not welcome people escaping danger in their own countries, which was more than in 2014. The survey also showed that some people thought of Muslims as linked to danger. The Prime Minister said Syrian families coming to the UK were a “group moving together,” and later said he would not “let people come into our country without control.” The Foreign Leader also said families were moving around Calais. A group called Amnesty International and leaders from other groups said these words were not right. On September 4, 2015, a leader from a group called UKIP said a Syrian child who had passed away, Alan Kurdi, was “had good clothes and food” and blamed his parents for his death. He said the child died because his parents wanted a good life in Europe. Many people online said this was wrong. He said sorry the next day. A statement later that day said sorry again. He said his words were not the best way to say things and blaming parents was probably “not ... the best answer.” In November 2018, a video showed a 16-year-old hurting a Syrian child at a school in West Yorkshire.

In North America

Canada

In July 2013, Canada promised to help 1,300 Syrian refugees by 2015 and gave $100 million in aid. By the end of 2015, Canada welcomed 35,000 refugees and aimed to accept 50,000 more by the end of 2016. By February 2016, Canada had met its goal of resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees. The government had programs to help refugees settle and integrate into communities. The cost for helping these refugees over six years was estimated between Can$564 to Can$678 million.

United States

In late 2016, the U.S. surpassed its goal of helping 10,000 Syrian refugees by welcoming over 12,500. Most arrived in the four months before this announcement. The U.S. also planned to help an additional 110,000 refugees. In 2015, the U.S. welcomed 1,682 Syrian refugees, 12,587 in 2016, and 3,566 from October to December 2016.

After the November 2015 Paris attacks, some U.S. states wanted to stop helping Syrian refugees, but courts said they could not. The U.S. gave $5.9 billion to help Syrian refugees, making it the second-largest helper after Turkey.

In January 2017, new U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order to stop helping Syrian refugees until better safety checks were made. This order also said that people could still ask for help if they were facing trouble because of their beliefs, such as Christians, Shia Muslims, and Yazidis in Syria. The order was challenged in court, and its future was still being decided.

In 2016, the U.S. welcomed 12,587 Syrian refugees, with most being Muslims and a small number being Christians. In 2017, the U.S. accepted 3,024 Syrian refugees, but only 11 in the first three months of 2018.

People in the U.S. had different opinions about helping Syrian refugees. In 2016, 56% of Democrats supported helping, compared to 18% of Republicans. By early 2017, support had grown, with 54% of people favoring help. Some people thought helping refugees was the right thing to do, while others worried about safety.

In South America

Some countries in South America have welcomed refugees from the Syrian civil war.

Argentina invited thousands of Syrian families to live there. By August 2013, over three hundred families had arrived, and in 2016, Argentina offered to accept 3,000 more refugees.

Brazil was the first country in the Americas to give special travel visas to refugees. These visas help Syrian families and their relatives in nearby countries to move to Brazil. By November 2015, about 3,000 Syrian refugees lived in Brazil.

Colombia accepts refugees who ask for help there. These refugees are registered with the UNHCR in Bogotá and receive support from a local group that works with the UNHCR.

Uruguay has more than 100 Syrian refugees, but many of them wish to return home.

Venezuela said it would give shelter to 20,000 refugees after seeing the challenges in Europe and nearby regions. The country’s leader spoke about the need for peace during this difficult time.

In the Asia-Pacific region

Australia agreed to welcome 12,000 Syrian refugees in October 2015. By September 2016, over 3,500 had been settled in the country.

Hong Kong accepted its first Syrian refugee in February 2017 after they traveled a long way to seek safety.

India had about 39 Syrian refugees and 20 people asking for help by September 2015, mostly living in South Delhi.

Japan planned to accept 300 refugees over five years starting in February 2017.

Malaysia became the first Muslim-majority country to say it would take Syrian refugees. The first group arrived in December 2015, and more came later that year.

New Zealand has taken in 83 refugees and plans to accept 750 more.

South Korea has not offered any resettlement places to refugees, though many have applied for help there.

Turkmenistan has also been a place some Syrian refugees have gone to since 1985 because of friendly relations between the countries.

Financial aid

Financial help for Syrian refugees comes from governments, non-governmental groups, and private people. This help is sent through big aid groups and government agencies. They give refugees food, schools, homes, clothes, medical care, and help with moving to new countries. We don’t have full numbers for all the help given since 2011, but the tables below show the help given by the biggest aid groups from April 2011 to December 2015.

The numbers above show money given to international aid groups, collected by the Financial Tracking Service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This does not include money spent by governments to help refugees in their own countries or to let them move in. Private donations come from individuals and groups. The United Nations’ money comes from general funds not linked to any specific country. The numbers for Turkey include spending that was not tracked by the FTS.

Depiction in media

In 2017, a Finnish film called The Other Side of Hope showed a Syrian person looking for their sister in Finland. That same year, a Turkish film called The Guest: Aleppo-Istanbul told the story of two young Syrian sisters who lost their parents during the war and had to find safety in Istanbul. In 2023, a British film named The Old Oak featured Syrian refugees helping a pub owner in Britain.

Post Assad regime returns

In December 2025, the International Organization for Migration reported that more than 782,075 Syrians came back to Syria from other countries after the Assad regime fell in December 2024.

Lebanon started a plan in July 2025, working with the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to help Syrian refugees living there return home. The plan aims to help between 200,000 and 400,000 people go back to Syria. It is led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri. The Netherlands also helped over 950 Syrians return home in 2025 with government funding.