The U.N. refugee agency expects around one million Syrian refugees to return to Syria in 2026 amid what it describes as gradual recovery in the country following the fall of the Assad government.
Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’s representative in Syria, said about 1.3 million refugees have already returned since December 2024, along with roughly two million internally displaced people who have gone back to their home areas.
He said more than three million Syrians have returned in a relatively short period to regions still struggling with economic, infrastructure and service‑related damage after years of war.
Most returns since late 2024 have come from Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, with smaller numbers from Egypt and Iraq, he said.
UNHCR estimates that returns could reach one million more in 2026, bringing the total to more than four million over two years.