AMMAN — A total of 220,000 UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees voluntarily returned from Jordan to Syria between December 8, 2024, and August 24, 2026, according to UNHCR Spokesperson Yousof Taha.

 

Taha told Al Mamlaka TV that nearly 45,000 Syrian refugees returned home since the beginning of 2026, noting an increased pace of returns following the end of the school term and improved weather conditions.

 

He added that 59 per cent returned as full families, while 41 per cent represented partial family returns. The average weekly return rate stands at approximately 1,300 refugees, with daily peaks ranging between 200 and 344 returnees.

 

Syrian refugees account for about 92 per cent of the total refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Jordan, numbering around 350,000 out of roughly 375,000 individuals.

 

Taha pointed out that 79.1 per cent of refugees reside in urban areas and host communities, totaling 300,097 refugees, compared with 20.9 per cent in camps, amounting to 79,226 refugees.

 

UNHCR introduced a new pilot phase under its voluntary return programme in the Zaatari and Azraq camps, offering vulnerable families an additional grant of $300 (JD210) to meet rising return demands.

 

This comes alongside the basic cash assistance of JD70 per returning individual, issued as a one-time payment to cover immediate expenses such as transportation, documentation, and medication.

 

According to the agency, this extra support is restricted to the most vulnerable households, including families with persons with disabilities, critical medical conditions, special needs children, single parents or primary caregivers, or households with eight or more members holding valid refugee documentation who choose to return to Syria.

 

Jordan hosts one of the highest refugee populations per capita globally.

 

The Kingdom is home to over 1.3 million Syrians, with around 80 per cent of them live outside camps in local urban communities.