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More than 509,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from Türkiye since the fall of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Monday, as United Nations data shows 1 million Syrians have returned from neighboring countries in the past 10 months.
Yerlikaya stated on social media that Türkiye continues supporting Syrians during the voluntary return process, with 509,387 people returning since December. The total number of voluntary returns from Türkiye since 2016 has reached 1,249,390, he added.
"Türkiye conducts its migration management under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership with historical experience, humanitarian approach and rational perspective, and this model sets an example for the world," Yerlikaya said.
According to a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report released last week, approximately 1 million Syrian refugees have returned from neighboring countries between Dec. 8, 2024, and late September 2025. The previous month's report had recorded 860,000 returns.
The U.N. data shows returns by country:
Additionally, 1.8 million internally displaced Syrians have returned to their homes following the regime change, according to the U.N. report.
A new U.N. survey conducted in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt indicates significantly more refugees plan to return. Of the 6,316 Syrian refugees interviewed, 80% stated that they definitely want to return to their country, while 20% plan to do so within a year.
The U.N. data show that most returnees are settling in Damascus and Aleppo, with approximately 350,000 people relocating to these two cities.
Another 95,000 have returned to Daraa, where the protests that triggered Syria's civil war began.
Despite accelerating returns, stability in infrastructure services, economic vitality and security has not yet been achieved in Syria. UNHCR spokesperson Celine Schmitt noted many returnees lack housing, with people trying to rebuild their war-destroyed homes with their own resources.
Unexploded ordnance remains a major security concern. The U.N. estimates there are nearly 300,000 unexploded devices throughout the country. Since Dec. 8, more than 900 people have been killed or injured by bombs and mines.
Tensions between Israel and Syria also worry returnees, particularly those in the southern Daraa region who fear Israel might expand its occupation and claim rights in the area.
The U.N. reports at least 4.5 million Syrian refugees remain abroad and approximately 7 million people are still internally displaced within Syria.
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