After 10 years of crisis, life is harder than ever for displaced Syrians. Millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes since 2011, seeking safety as refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond, or displaced inside Syria. As the crisis continues, hope is fading. With the devastating impact of the pandemic and increasing poverty, every day is an emergency for Syrians forced to flee.
UNHCR works hard to help, leading a coordinated effort across the region. Together with our partners, aid organizations and host governments, we offer a lifeline to those in need.
13.4 million
people in need of humanitarian and protection assistance in Syria
6.7 million
internally displaced persons
6.6 million
Syrian refugees worldwide, of whom 5.6 million hosted in countries near Syria
Updated 15 March 2021
Millions of Syrians have escaped across borders, in what has become the world’s largest refugee crisis in decades.
Turkey hosts the largest number of registered Syrian refugees – currently more than 3.6 million.
The vast majority of Syrian refugees in the neighbouring countries live in urban areas, with only 1 out of 20 accommodated in a refugee camp. In all neighbouring countries, life is a daily struggle for more than a million Syrian refugees, who have little or no financial resources.
Many lost employment since the COVID-19 pandemic has broken out. In Lebanon, nine out of ten refugees now live in extreme poverty. There are no formal refugee camps and, as a result, Syrians are scattered throughout urban and rural communities and locations, often sharing small basic lodgings with other refugee families in overcrowded conditions.
In Jordan, over 660,000 men, women and children are currently trapped in exile. Approximately 80 per cent of them live outside camps, while 128,000 have found sanctuary in refugee camps such as Za’atari and Azraq.
Many have arrived with limited means to cover even basic needs, and those who could at first rely on savings or support from host families are now increasingly in need of help. In Jordan, about four out of five Syrian refugees (close to 80 percent ) were living under the national poverty line even before the pandemic, surviving on about US$3 a day
Iraq also is a main host country for Syrians, with some 244,000 registered refugees, while in Egypt UNHCR provides protection and assistance to more than 130,000.
But although life in exile can be difficult, for Syrians still at home it is also extremely challenging.
