By Bunmi Yekini
Nearly 750,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their places of origin in Syria since November 2024. Still, a staggering seven million remain displaced within the war-torn country, according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The report, based on IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM)—the first such assessment since 2022—highlights the severe living conditions many displaced Syrians still endure. One in five displaced people, mostly from Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama, live in tents or makeshift shelters, while 28 percent of returnees reside 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.”
The report also notes a significant drop in displacement since mid-December 2024, with return movements accelerating in January following the ousting of President Bashar Al-Assad’s government. Since the beginning of 2024, 571,388 individuals have returned to Syria from abroad, with 259,745 of them arriving after November. Most returnees—76 percent—went back to their original homes, while others relocated due to damage or security concerns.
Fifty percent of returning Syrians came from Lebanon, 22 percent from Türkiye, and 13 percent from Iraq.
As part of its humanitarian response, IOM has assisted over 315,000 people in urgent need since December 2024, delivering shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene, and other relief items. The organization is now seeking $73.2 million to support more than 1.1 million people in the first half of 2025.
Additionally, IOM is expanding a property records database to help displaced Syrians reclaim ownership of their homes and land. So far, 149,000 records have been digitized, with another 155,000 in progress, a crucial step in helping returnees rebuild their lives.
With its re-established presence in Damascus, IOM is intensifying data collection efforts to bridge critical information gaps and enhance coordination with UN partners and local communities in Syria’s ongoing recovery efforts.