AMMAN — The number of Syrian refugees returning to their country has declined and fluctuated after a sharp surge in voluntary returns following the fall of the former regime in December 2024, according to a UNHCR official in Jordan.

 

Spokesperson for the UNHCR in Jordan Youssef Taha said on Sunday that more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees had voluntarily returned to Syria from countries around the world since December 8, 2024 [when the Assad regime fell].

 

Speaking to Al Mamlaka TV, Taha said that about two million internally displaced Syrians had also returned to their areas of origin since the fall of the former regime through the end of August.

 

He put the official number of Syrians currently living outside the country at around nine million.

 

Taha said that returns initially accelerated, driven by several factors, including the desire of Syrians who had spent nearly 14 years outside the country to return home following the change in political and security conditions.

 

“The pace of returns tends to slow during the school year and winter months and picks up during breaks between academic terms and after the end of the school and university year,” he said.

 

On whether geographical proximity affects refugees’ decisions to return, Taha said there were no studies showing that proximity to Syria delays returns. However, he said the factor helped explain why large numbers of Syrians initially sought refuge in northern Jordan, particularly in Irbid, Ramtha and Mafraq.

 

“Being close to Syria may also give some refugees a sense that they can return whenever they choose.”

 

He credited measures introduced by Jordan’s Ministry of Interior, including allowing Syrians to submit applications for exit and re-entry, have helped facilitate returns.

 

Among the measures, Syrian refugees have been allowed to return to Syria even if their passports have expired, he said.

 

Jordan and Turkey were among the countries that allowed Syrians to return to Syria and subsequently re-enter their host countries, Taha said. “The measures also included arrangements to facilitate family reunification.”

 

Taha has recently said that a total of 220,000 UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees voluntarily returned from Jordan to Syria between December 8, 2024, and August 24, 2026.

 

He said that nearly 45,000 Syrian refugees returned home since the beginning of 2026.

 

The spokesperson also said 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.

 

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.