220,000 Syrian refugees return from Jordan since Assad fall

AMMAN, Jordan (MNTV) — Around 220,000 registered Syrian refugees have voluntarily returned to Syria from Jordan since the fall of the Baath regime in December 2024, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The U.N. agency said approximately 220,000 registered refugees returned between Dec. 8, 2024, and Aug. 24, 2026, marking a significant movement of Syrians back across the border following years of displacement.

Youssef Taha, a UNHCR spokesperson in Jordan, told Hawar News Agency that about 45,000 Syrian refugees had returned since the beginning of 2026. 

The pace of departures has increased following the end of the school year and as weather conditions became more favorable for travel.

UNHCR data showed that 59% of those returning did so as complete families, while the remaining 41% involved only some members of a family returning to Syria.

The average number of refugees returning each week is around 1,300, while daily returns have at times reached between 200 and 344 people.

Despite the growing number of returnees, Jordan continues to host hundreds of thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR.

The agency estimates that around 375,000 refugees and asylum-seekers are currently registered in Jordan, with Syrians accounting for about 92% of the total, or approximately 350,000 people.

Most Syrian refugees in Jordan live outside formal camps. About 79% reside in cities and local host communities, where they have built lives and accessed services alongside Jordan’s population.

The continuing returns reflect changing circumstances in Syria following the collapse of the former government, although the ability of returnees to rebuild their lives will depend on security, housing, livelihoods and access to basic services.