A new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows that almost 750,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their places of origin in Syria since November 2024. However, some seven million remain displaced within the country, which is recovering from 14 years of war.
IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) — the first such report on Syria since 2022 – shows that one in five displaced people in Syria — primarily from Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama — are residing in tents or makeshift shelters under harsh living conditions. The report also showed that about 28 per cent of those who returned to their places of origin are residing in damaged or unfinished buildings.
“Syria remains a major humanitarian crisis, and the needs are immense,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “IOM is dedicated to helping the people of Syria on their journey to recovery, and collecting and analyzing data like we’ve done in this new Displacement Tracking Matrix report is one of the key ways we will do that.”
As it re-establishes its presence in Damascus, IOM is reactivating its data collection operations in Syria so it can address critical information gaps about humanitarian needs and mobility and enhance coordination with UN partners and local communities.
The report highlights a notable decline in displacement since mid-December 2024, with return movements intensifying in January this year, following the ousting of President Bashar Al-Assad’s government.
Since January 2024, a total of 571,388 individuals have returned to Syria from abroad, of whom 259,745 returned to the country after November 2024. About 76 per cent of arrivals from aboard returned to their place of origin, while others returned to another location likely due to significant damage and security concerns in their place of origin.
Fifty percent of Syrians returning from outside the country came from Lebanon, 22 per cent from Türkiye and 13 per cent from Iraq.
IOM has been one of the largest UN agencies operating in northern Aleppo and Idlib since 2014, working with implementing partners and supporting several community centres, focusing on multi-sector assistance to displaced communities and returnees.
Since December 2024, IOM’s operations in Syria have reached over 315,000 people urgently needing assistance, including shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, other relief items, and protection. As IOM expands its operations in Syria, it is looking to help more than 1.1 million people in the first half of 2025. In January, IOM issued an appeal for 73.2 million USD to meet these needs.
Additionally, IOM is expanding its property records database to help displaced Syrians prove ownership of their homes and land. So far, 149,000 records have been digitized, with another 155,000 in progress. IOM is working to make these records easily accessible to people who need them and connecting this system with official land records to help people reclaim their property, resolve disputes, and rebuild their lives when they return home.
