spotlight 1 Syria 2.9M (end-2024) Türkiye 788K Refugees and Germany 703K Other countries asylum-se ekers 7.4M IDPs 304K Iraq 755K60 513K Lebanon 514K IDP returnees 611K Returns to Syria For more information, see the UNHCR situation on Syria Jordan SPOTLIGHT 1 + Syria at a crossroads Background Since it began in 2011, the crisis in Syria has produced one of the largest forced displacement situations in the world. Approximately one-quarter of the Syrian population has been displaced by the war. As of end-2024, the number of Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers stood at 6.1 million, almost 80 per cent of whom were hosted in neighbouring countries.60 Additionally, 7.4 million people remained displaced within Syria as a result of years of protracted conflict. Figure 3 | Number of IDPs in Syria and refugees and asylum-seekers from Syria | end-2024 61 Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers: 6.1 million 2.9M 755K 611K 304K 788K 592K IDPs in Syria: 7.4 million 7.4M 1M 0 Türkiye 2M Lebanon 3M Jordan Iraq On 27 November 2024, a coordinated offensive was launched by Syrian opposition forces, which quickly spread to several major cities, including Aleppo, Homs and parts of Damascus. The Assad government fell on 8 December. These unprecedented developments have already 4M 5M Egypt Germany 6M 7M Other countries IDPs considerably impacted the lives of millions of Syrians, both within and outside the country. The fall of the former government has generated a renewed hope to return for many displaced Syrians, yet the situation remains unstable, with ongoing risks of new displacement. 60 See footnote 8. 61 Ibid. 14 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2024