IRC: Nearly One Year Since Fall of Assad-led Government, Majority of Syrian Refugees Remain Undecided about Return

Damascus, November 17, 2025 - The fall of the Assad-led government reignited long-deferred hopes among many Syrian refugees that returning home might finally be possible. Despite tangible steps toward stabilization in the country over the past twelve months, Syrians still face significant barriers to returning safely and rebuilding their lives.

According to the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) fourth refugee intentions survey, based on interviews with almost 4,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, the uncertainty surrounding Syria's volatile landscape remains a major factor shaping return dynamics.

• 25% of surveyed refugees expressed an intention to return to Syria.
• 46% remain unsure, reflecting growing concerns about safety and access to services, housing and livelihoods.
• 30% of respondents said they do not want to return, citing ongoing violence and concerns about reintegration.

While over one million refugees and two million internally displaced people have reportedly returned to their areas of origin, many are coming back to places where their homes lie in ruins and essential services are either decimated or overwhelmed. These challenges, compounded by a devastated economy, continue to drive humanitarian needs in Syria.

Across the country, critical infrastructure remains severely damaged: more than half of the water supply networks and four out of five electricity grids are either destroyed or non-functional, leaving millions without reliable access to essential services. Explosive remnants of war also pose a life-threatening barrier to return; in some areas, 87% of residents have reported to the IRC the presence of explosives within 10 kilometers of their homes.

Juan Gabriel Wells, IRC Syria Country Director, says:

"Although a quarter of refugees interviewed recently by the IRC in neighboring countries have expressed a desire to return, the reality on the ground remains deeply challenging. For too many, both refugees and those internally displaced within Syria, returning under current conditions is simply not the same as returning safely, with dignity, or with any guarantee of permanence.

"Across Syria, humanitarian needs are at a record high, with more than 16 million people requiring assistance. As global aid budgets shrink and Syria's economy continues to deteriorate, both returnees and those who never left are being pushed even deeper into crisis.

"Despite national shortages of critical medicines, we continue to see a significant influx of people seeking care in our clinics and hospitals across the country. Just weeks after opening in Homs, our women's protection center had already reached full capacity. Meanwhile, communities struggling to access even the most basic services are now also facing soaring living costs, making it nearly impossible to make ends meet."

The IRC urges host governments and international partners to uphold the principles of voluntary, safe, and dignified return, while continuing to support refugees who remain in neighboring countries. Sustained investments in host community services, livelihoods, humanitarian and recovery programs inside Syria are now essential to prevent further deterioration. At this critical juncture, the IRC calls for renewed multi-year, flexible funding for humanitarian and early recovery efforts to help Syrians rebuild their lives-wherever they choose to do so.

Notes to editors:

To better understand evolving refugee intentions regarding return to Syria, the IRC has launched a series of Regional Rapid Intentions Surveys among Syrian refugees currently hosted in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Türkiye. To date, four rounds of surveys have been conducted at three-month intervals: Survey 1 in mid-December 2024, Survey 2 in mid-March 2025, Survey 3 in mid-June 2025, and Survey 4 in mid-September.