Long the world’s first host of refugees: Türkiye after the fall of Assad
Since the war in Syria, Türkiye has hosted the largest population of Syrian refugees in the world. The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, in December 2024, opened the way to returns. What UNHCR figures say, year by year.
Scope: Türkiye, refugees under UNHCR’s mandate (people in a refugee-like situation included) and asylum-seekers, end-year stocks; refugees who returned to Syria during the year. Latest year: that of UNHCR’s annual figures.
Key points
- From a few thousand to several million. Türkiye had 14,457 refugees at the end of 2011; there were 3.76 million at the peak, at the end of 2021, almost all of them Syrian.
- The world’s first host country for almost ten years. According to UNHCR, Türkiye hosted the largest number of refugees from 2014 to 2022. At the end of 2025 it is in position 2, behind Germany (2.66 million).
- A continuous fall since 2021. At the end of 2025, Türkiye hosts 2.39 million refugees, 36% fewer than at the peak. Syrians make up 98% of them and almost half (48%) of Syrian refugees worldwide.
- Returns speed up after the fall of Assad. 556,000 refugees returned from Türkiye to Syria in 2025, after 159,000 in 2024: 715,000 in two years. That is 41% of the Syrian refugee returns recorded worldwide in 2025 (1,341,000).
- Fewer than one return for every five present. The 2025 returns equal 19% of the Syrian refugees in Türkiye a year earlier.
How to read these figures
The figures come from the statistical database of UNHCR (the United Nations refugee agency), compiled with governments. In Türkiye, Syrians fall under a temporary protection regime set by the Turkish State; UNHCR counts them as refugees. Stocks (refugees, asylum-seekers) are measured on 31 December; returns are refugees who went back to their country during the year, according to the sources available to UNHCR, which may under-count spontaneous returns.
The figures are annual: the fall of the regime, on 8 December 2024, comes at the end of 2024, and 2025 is the first full year after it. The ranking of host countries counts refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, without « other people in need of international protection » (a category mostly used for Venezuelans). The rate per 1,000 inhabitants divides refugees by Türkiye’s population (World Bank).
1. Refugees and asylum-seekers hosted
The refugee population in Türkiye multiplied in the early 2010s with the arrival of Syrians fleeing the war. It has been falling since 2021.
Refugees and asylum-seekers in Türkiye, end of year
Millions of people. Asylum-seekers at end 2025: 102,000.
- Asylum-seekers
- Other refugees
- Syrian refugees
Source:UNHCR
Show the chart data
| Period | Syrian refugees | Other refugees | Asylum-seekers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.00 million | 0.01 million | 0.01 million |
| 2011 | 0.00 million | 0.01 million | 0.01 million |
| 2012 | 0.25 million | 0.02 million | 0.02 million |
| 2013 | 0.59 million | 0.02 million | 0.05 million |
| 2014 | 1.56 million | 0.03 million | 0.11 million |
| 2015 | 2.50 million | 0.04 million | 0.21 million |
| 2016 | 2.82 million | 0.05 million | 0.25 million |
| 2017 | 3.42 million | 0.06 million | 0.31 million |
| 2018 | 3.62 million | 0.06 million | 0.31 million |
| 2019 | 3.58 million | 0.00 million | 0.33 million |
| 2020 | 3.64 million | 0.01 million | 0.32 million |
| 2021 | 3.74 million | 0.02 million | 0.31 million |
| 2022 | 3.54 million | 0.03 million | 0.27 million |
| 2023 | 3.21 million | 0.04 million | 0.22 million |
| 2024 | 2.90 million | 0.04 million | 0.15 million |
| 2025 | 2.35 million | 0.04 million | 0.10 million |
Refugees per 1,000 inhabitants
End-year refugees divided by the population (World Bank).
Source:UNHCRWorld Bank
Show the chart data
| Period | Per 1,000 inhabitants |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.1 |
| 2011 | 0.2 |
| 2012 | 3.6 |
| 2013 | 8.0 |
| 2014 | 20.6 |
| 2015 | 32.5 |
| 2016 | 36.2 |
| 2017 | 43.3 |
| 2018 | 45.2 |
| 2019 | 43.3 |
| 2020 | 43.8 |
| 2021 | 44.7 |
| 2022 | 42.0 |
| 2023 | 38.1 |
| 2024 | 34.4 |
| 2025 | 27.8 |
2. Türkiye among host countries
Türkiye was the first host country for refugees for almost ten years. Syrians are also refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Germany and Iraq, but none of these countries hosts as many.
Refugees hosted by some large host countries
Millions, end of year. Iran’s figures change sharply from one year to the next; this dossier does not analyse why.
- Uganda
- Pakistan
- Iran
- Germany
- Türkiye
Source:UNHCR
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| Period | Türkiye | Germany | Iran | Pakistan | Uganda |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0.27 million | 0.59 million | 0.87 million | 1.64 million | 0.20 million |
| 2013 | 0.61 million | 0.19 million | 0.86 million | 1.62 million | 0.22 million |
| 2014 | 1.59 million | 0.22 million | 0.98 million | 1.51 million | 0.39 million |
| 2015 | 2.54 million | 0.32 million | 0.98 million | 1.56 million | 0.48 million |
| 2016 | 2.87 million | 0.67 million | 0.98 million | 1.35 million | 0.94 million |
| 2017 | 3.48 million | 0.97 million | 0.98 million | 1.39 million | 1.35 million |
| 2018 | 3.68 million | 1.06 million | 0.98 million | 1.40 million | 1.17 million |
| 2019 | 3.58 million | 1.15 million | 0.98 million | 1.42 million | 1.36 million |
| 2020 | 3.65 million | 1.21 million | 0.80 million | 1.44 million | 1.42 million |
| 2021 | 3.76 million | 1.26 million | 0.80 million | 1.49 million | 1.53 million |
| 2022 | 3.57 million | 2.08 million | 3.43 million | 1.74 million | 1.46 million |
| 2023 | 3.25 million | 2.59 million | 3.76 million | 1.99 million | 1.58 million |
| 2024 | 2.94 million | 2.75 million | 3.49 million | 1.56 million | 1.76 million |
| 2025 | 2.39 million | 2.66 million | 0.77 million | 1.16 million | 1.94 million |
Syrian refugees by host country
Millions, end of year.
- Iraq
- Germany
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Türkiye
Source:UNHCR
Show the chart data
| Period | Türkiye | Lebanon | Jordan | Germany | Iraq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 0.00 million | 0.00 million | 0.00 million | 0.01 million | 0.00 million |
| 2012 | 0.25 million | 0.13 million | 0.24 million | 0.02 million | 0.06 million |
| 2013 | 0.59 million | 0.85 million | 0.59 million | 0.02 million | 0.21 million |
| 2014 | 1.56 million | 1.15 million | 0.62 million | 0.04 million | 0.23 million |
| 2015 | 2.50 million | 1.06 million | 0.63 million | 0.12 million | 0.24 million |
| 2016 | 2.82 million | 1.01 million | 0.65 million | 0.38 million | 0.23 million |
| 2017 | 3.42 million | 0.99 million | 0.65 million | 0.50 million | 0.25 million |
| 2018 | 3.62 million | 0.94 million | 0.68 million | 0.53 million | 0.25 million |
| 2019 | 3.58 million | 0.91 million | 0.65 million | 0.57 million | 0.25 million |
| 2020 | 3.64 million | 0.87 million | 0.66 million | 0.61 million | 0.24 million |
| 2021 | 3.74 million | 0.84 million | 0.67 million | 0.62 million | 0.25 million |
| 2022 | 3.54 million | 0.81 million | 0.66 million | 0.52 million | 0.26 million |
| 2023 | 3.21 million | 0.78 million | 0.65 million | 0.71 million | 0.27 million |
| 2024 | 2.90 million | 0.76 million | 0.61 million | 0.73 million | 0.30 million |
| 2025 | 2.35 million | 0.53 million | 0.42 million | 0.67 million | 0.31 million |
3. Returns to Syria
Returns from Türkiye stayed at a few tens of thousands a year. They change scale in 2024 and above all in 2025, after the fall of the regime.
Refugees who returned to Syria: from Türkiye and from all countries
Thousands of people, during the year.
- From all countries
- From Türkiye
Source:UNHCR
Show the chart data
| Period | From Türkiye | From all countries |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 45,000 | 77,000 |
| 2018 | 177,000 | 211,000 |
| 2019 | 34,000 | 95,000 |
| 2020 | 17,000 | 39,000 |
| 2021 | 22,000 | 36,000 |
| 2022 | 34,000 | 51,000 |
| 2023 | 20,000 | 38,000 |
| 2024 | 159,000 | 513,000 |
| 2025 | 556,000 | 1,341,000 |
What we know, what we don’t
What the figures establish
- Türkiye hosted more refugees than any other country for almost ten years, almost all of them Syrian.
- The number of refugees in Türkiye has been falling since its peak, and faster since the fall of the Syrian regime.
- Returns to Syria from Türkiye rose sharply in the first full year after the fall of the regime.
What they don’t tell
- The current year’s figures: UNHCR publishes its annual stocks several months later.
- How lasting the returns are, and the living conditions of the people back in Syria.
- Individual reasons for leaving: these series do not measure the effect of Turkish policies or of the situation in Syria.
Sources
Series downloaded from their producers on Nov 12, 2026, the snapshot date. Only published periods are used: no projection.