The Syrian Refugee Crisis: The Numbers
Syria is undergoing a historical transition. But the human cost of its civil war is staggering.
December 19, 2024
The Syrian refugee crisis is considered one of the largest displacement crises globally.
Approximately 6.3 million Syrians have become refugees abroad since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, according to the latest available data.
This represents a significant portion of Syria’s total population, which was estimated to be around 23.79 million in January 2024.
Syrian refugees have sought asylum in more than 137 countries.
With the exception of Germany as a host nation for Syrian refugees, the majority (73%) are being hosted by neighboring nations.
The distribution of Syrian refugees in some of the main host countries is Turkey (3.1 million), Lebanon (774,000 registered — and up to 1.5 million including unregistered), Germany (716,000), Jordan (649,000) and Iraq (286,000).
The total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Syria is estimated to be 7.2 million. That corresponds to approximately 30.26% of Syria’s population.
In addition, approximately 2 million Syrian refugee children are out of school, with an additional 1.6 million at risk of dropping out.
Sources: Global Digital Insights, UNHCR, CountryMeters, Statista, Al Jazeera, World Vision, Wikipedia, Perplexity
Takeaways
Syria is undergoing a historical transition. But the human cost of its civil war is staggering.
