Ali Yerlikaya: Number of Syrian Refugees in Turkey Drops to 2.5 Million

Ali Yerlikaya: Number of Syrian Refugees in Turkey Drops to 2.5 Million

Aug 31 2025

ARK News.. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has decreased to 2.5 million, citing a significant rise in applications for voluntary return to Syria.

In a post on X, Yerlikaya stated: “The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has fallen to 2.5 million after 450,000 returned to their country since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024.”

He noted that since Syria’s “liberation” on December 8, 2024, applications for voluntary repatriation have steadily increased. “Turkey has stood by the Syrian people throughout their displacement and continues to do so,” the minister added.

According to official figures, a total of 450,169 Syrians has voluntarily and safely returned in recent months, bringing the cumulative number of returnees to 1,190,172

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