All about the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Syrian refugee crisis explained

After over a decade of conflict, Syria remains the world’s largest refugee crisis. Since 2011, more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. More than 6.8 million Syrians remain internally displaced in their own country; where 70 percent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance and 90 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Approximately 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in the five countries neighboring Syria—Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. Germany is the largest non-neighboring host country with more than 850,000 Syrian refugees.

When did the Syrian refugee crisis begin?

The Syrian refugee crisis began in March 2011 as a result of a violent government crackdown on public demonstrations in support of teenagers who were arrested for anti-government graffiti in the southern town of Daraa. The arrests sparked public demonstrations throughout Syria which were violently suppressed by government security forces. The conflict quickly escalated and the country descended into a civil war that forced millions of Syrian families to flee their homes. Twelve years later, the conflict is ongoing.

Where do Syrian refugees live? 

Syrian refugees have sought asylum in more than 130 countries, but the vast majority live in neighboring countries within the region, such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. Turkey alone hosts the largest population of Syrian refugees: 3.6 million.

Approximately 92 percent of refugees who have fled to neighboring countries live in rural and urban settings, with only roughly five percent living in refugee camps. However, living outside refugee camps does not necessarily mean success or stability. More than 70 percent of Syrian refugees are living in poverty, with limited access to basic services, education or job opportunities. And fewer prospects of returning home.

What are Syrians' greatest challenges?

Poverty and unemployment are widespread within Syria, with over 90 percent of the population in Syria living below the poverty line. High levels of inflation and a record increase in prices of more than 800 percent in the last two years are making basic goods and services unaffordable for many people. An estimated 12.1 million people are food insecure as a result of the economic crisis. 

The situation for Syrian refugees living in neighboring host countries has deteriorated as well. Specifically, protracted displacement, economic decline in host countries due to political unrest and COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, global inflation, and the earthquakes that struck south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria are just some of the challenges Syrian refugees face. 

Economic challenges in neighboring countries like Lebanon have pushed Syrians in the country into poverty with more than 90 percent of Syrian refugees reliant on humanitarian assistance to survive. In Jordan, nine out of ten refugee households reported being in debt. Ninety percent of Syrian refugees living in Turkey cannot fully cover their monthly expenses or basic needs. 

How are Syrian children impacted by this crisis?

Twelve years of crisis have had a profound impact on Syrian children. They have been exposed to violence and indiscriminate attacks, losing their loved ones, their homes, their possessions and everything they once knew. They have grown up knowing nothing but the crisis. Today, over 47 percent of Syrian refugees in the region are under 18 years old and more than a third of them do not have access to education. In Syria, more than two million children are out of school and 1.6 million children are at risk of dropping out.

U.S. Assistance to Syria

The United States is the largest single donor to the humanitarian response in Syria, providing over $12.2 billion in humanitarian assistance for vulnerable individuals inside Syria and those displaced in the region since the start of the crisis.

In the fiscal year of 2022, 4,556 refugees from Syria had been admitted into the United States. Although the US is well behind schedule as of Feb2023, the 2022/2023 cap on refugee admissions is 125,000. 60% of which are expected to be Syrians.

Fast facts: What is currently happening in the Syrian conflict?

• The conflict that began as a forceful crackdown on peaceful student protests against the government of Syria on March 15, 2011, and escalated to full-scale violence, now enters its 12th year.

• An estimated 15.3 million people (almost 7 out of 10) in Syria will require life-saving aid in 2023.

• 6.8 million people are displaced within Syria — the largest number in the world and the highest number of people in need since the start of the conflict.

• Neighboring Turkey hosts over 3.5 million refugees, the largest refugee population hosted by a single country worldwide. This is where our extended family of eleven lived for 9yrs before coming to the US.

• About 2 million Syrian refugee children are out of school and an additional 1.6 million are at risk of dropping out.

• A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 and a series of aftershocks devastate a large swath of northwest Syria and southeast Turkey (officially the Republic of Turkey), killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.