Nearly 1.3 million Syrians returned home in 2025 following the end of the civil war in their homeland, the UN's refugee agency revealed on Thursday.
With many Afghan refugees forced to leave temporary homes in Iran and Pakistan, it was a bumper year for refugees returning to their home countries. The worldwide figure of 4.4 million was the second-highest on record.
Refugee agency UNHCR said the number of people displaced worldwide fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade. But it warned that levels of long-term displacement were high, and said many returns “occurred under pressure”.
A total of 14.7 million displaced people returned home during 2025. They included 4.4 million refugees abroad who crossed international borders to return to their countries.
Syria had been one of the world’s largest refugee crises for more than a decade. Following the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s government in December 2024, the global Syrian refugee population fell from 6 million to 4.9 million by the end of 2025.
About 2.9 million Afghans returned in 2025, including 1.9 million refugees – five times higher than the previous year – driven mainly by stricter policies in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, with many reporting they had little choice but to leave, UNHCR found.
More than 650,000 people also returned to Sudan. The agency warned that some Syrian and Sudanese refugees returned to face insecurity, inadequate basic services and limited livelihood opportunities.
“Many returnees face serious challenges, including insecurity, widespread destruction, weak economic conditions, limited services and jobs, and continued sporadic violence in parts of the country,” the report said.
UNHCR chief Barham Salih, a former Iraqi president, said “returns that are not safe are not a solution. They risk becoming the beginning of a new displacement cycle”.
New wave of displacement
In 2026, the war between the US, Israel and Iran has created a new wave of displacement, said the agency.
The conflict, which began in February, has forced 3.2 million people from their homes in Iran alone, the report said. Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March have also displaced more than a million people.
Globally, 70 per cent of refugees have been in exile for five years or more, in countries including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iran.
“Asylum and protection are life-saving and not up for debate, but we cannot accept a future in which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic prospects of rebuilding their lives,” Mr Salih said.
