Khaberni - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees revealed yesterday that the number of Syrian refugees returning to their country from Jordan in October decreased by 20% compared to September due to the resumption of school and the approaching winter season.
The report clarified that this decrease is mainly due to the start of the school year and the approaching winter, both of which usually affect the movement of voluntary return, as more than 13,300 refugees returned during October compared to about 16,000 refugees in September.
From December 8, 2024, to November 1 of the current year, the number of refugees registered with the Commission who returned from Jordan to Syria amounted to more than 167,000 people. The report also mentioned that last week saw the return of about 2,600 refugees, a number similar to the previous week.
It clarified that the demographic composition of the returnees remained stable over the past weeks, where women and girls represent about 49% of the total returnees, while children account for about 43%, and men aged between 18 and 40 years make up about 19%. The majority of the returnees come from host communities in Amman and Irbid.
Until November 2 of the current year, the Commission's data indicates that the number of Syrians registered with it in Jordan amounts to about 436,400 refugees, 80% of whom live in host communities, while 18% reside in camps, while the number of registered children is about 505,000.
Regional refugees
Regionally, the Commission reported that by November 6, 2025, more than 1,208,802 Syrians had returned to their country from various neighboring countries since December 2024, with Turkey leading in the number of returnees, followed by Lebanon and Jordan, with fewer numbers from Iraq, Egypt, and other countries in the region.
Moreover, more than 1.9 million internally displaced persons have returned to their original areas within Syria or intend to return, while about seven million people are still internally displaced within the country.
The report noted that until November 1 of the current year, approximately 2,150 refugees were approved for cash assistance under the voluntary return pilot program implemented by the Commission, where refugees are given two weeks to return after receiving the assistance.
The Commission expected that the number of Syrian refugees residing in Jordan would decrease to approximately 415,000 refugees by the end of 2025, in light of political and security developments in Syria, with the number potentially decreasing to about 290,000 by the end of 2026.
Safe return
The latest regional survey on refugees' perceptions and intentions regarding return, issued in September 2025, showed that 80% of Syrian refugees expressed a desire to return to their country one day. However, the percentage of those intending to return within one year dropped from 40% to 22% among refugees in Jordan, reflecting ongoing concerns about security and living conditions inside Syria and the difficulty of achieving a safe and sustainable return.
Although the Commission does not encourage mass or large-scale return, it reaffirms its commitment to supporting refugees who wish to return voluntarily, ensuring that returns are safe, dignified, and sustainable.
The Commission pointed out that Syrian refugees constitute about 92% of the total refugee population in Jordan, versus 8% from other nationalities, expecting the relative stability in the distribution of refugees between camps and host communities to continue.
Despite this stability, the Commission warned that a decrease in international aid and a shift in global funding priorities pose an increasing challenge for both refugees and host communities, stressing that the continuation of this situation could threaten the gains made in recent years in terms of refugee protection and support for local communities.
