MigrantoMigration trends in Syria
Middle East
Syria loses more people than it takes in: 8.9M emigrants against 827K immigrants. Net balance −8.1M — 33% of the country's population
24.7M
Population
827K
Immigrants
8.9M
Emigrants
−8.1M
Outflow
1 in 30 residents of Syria was born abroad — and 1 in 4 people born in Syria lives abroad
#6 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Syria
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
248.7K immigrants · 296.2K emigrants
2000
- The country became a destination — more people arriving than leaving
2005
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora grew by 43%
- Net migration doubled — the surplus reached 235.6K
- The diaspora passed 500K people
2010
- Iraq overtook Palestine as the largest source of new arrivals
- Jordan replaced Saudi Arabia as the main destination for those leaving
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 106%
- Roughly 1 in 20 residents was now foreign-born
2015
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora grew by 372%
- Joined the world's 10 largest diasporas
- Became the biggest country by emigrants in the Middle East
- The country became a place of departure — more people leaving than arriving
2020
- Surge of departures to Germany — 483.4K people left
Today
- Since 1990: 578.3K more foreign-born residents and 8.6M more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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