Syrian Refugees Return Home, But Not From Germany

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, the process of repatriation of Syrian refugees has gained impressive momentum, but the picture varies sharply depending on the country where they had found asylum. While heated debates over the deportation of Syrians continue in Germany, data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that the main flow of returnees is coming from Syria's neighboring countries, while the number of those returning from Europe remains negligible.

Thus, according to UN data, more than one million people have returned to Syria since the overthrow of Assad's regime. The largest group, about 550,000 people, has returned from Turkey. They are followed by about 320,000 Syrians who returned from Lebanon and 152,000 from Jordan. Tens of thousands of people have returned to their homeland from Egypt and Iraq. However, a UNHCR study reveals a worrying reality: the decision to return is influenced not so much by patriotic feelings as by negative factors in the host countries—the rising cost of living, lack of work, and prospects. This means that many are returning more out of necessity than sincere desire.

The situation is completely different in Germany, where 947,833 Syrian citizens currently reside. Most of them have refugee status, and since Assad's ouster, only 2,869 Syrians have taken advantage of the voluntary return program. Under this program, Germany pays up to 4,000 euros per family, but even this financial incentive cannot convince people.

The reason is simple: Germany remains one of the richest countries in the world with a developed social support system, which makes it much more attractive than war-torn Syria. Even after the end of the civil war, more than 20,000 Syrians have applied for asylum in Germany.

The statistics are also telling. According to the Federal Employment Agency, at the beginning of the year, about 236,000 Syrians were officially employed, 518,000 were receiving "Bürgergeld" (Citizen's Benefit), and last year more than 80,000 received German passports. In total, about 1.3 million people of Syrian origin live in Germany, of whom almost a quarter of a million were already born in Germany, forming a new generation whose connection to their homeland is weaker.