Syria

Introduction

More than a decade of hostilities has inflicted immense suffering on civilians and left Syria on a complex path to recovery. Continued displacement, the collapse of essential services, and extensive destruction of infrastructure have left 16.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. As a leading donor, the EU and its Member States have provided sustained humanitarian support since the start of the crisis and remain committed to assisting the most vulnerable at this critical juncture in Syria’s history.

What are the needs?

Following the overthrow of the Assad regime in late 2024, Syria is undergoing profound political and social changes. Humanitarian needs remain at record levels, with 16.5 million people relying on aid. While significant population movements were observed throughout 2025, approximately 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain in camps and camp-like settlements. Many others who have returned to their areas of origin face severe challenges due to the widespread destruction of housing, infrastructure, and public services.

An estimated 16.3 million Syrians need protection assistance, facing multiple threats such as:

• lack of civil documentation
• gender-based violence (GBV)
• early and forced marriage
• child labour

The protracted economic crisis, liquidity shortages, and drought-like conditions have deepened food insecurity and eroded livelihoods, pushing 14.6 million people into food insecurity. Agricultural production has been severely affected by the contamination of farmland with unexploded ordnance, and limited access to inputs. 

Health service availability remains critically low: only 62% of hospitals and 41% of primary healthcare centres are functional. Access to sexual and reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial support, and GBV services remains highly limited.

Extensive infrastructure damage, over-extraction of groundwater, leakages, and insufficient rainfall translate into widespread lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene for almost half of the population.

Between 2.5 and 3 million children remain out of school as a result of damaged facilities, schools being used as collective shelters and overcrowded classrooms.

How are we helping?

Along with its Member States, the EU is the largest donor to the Syria crisis, having provided more than €38 billion in humanitarian, development, economic and stabilisation assistance since 2011. This includes over €4.4 billion in humanitarian aid to Syrians and vulnerable host communities inside Syria and the region (of which €1.9 billion to Syria alone). 

Since 2017, the EU also organises a yearly Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” to provide space for Syrian voices, keep Syria high on the political agenda, and to encourage financial pledges to the response. 

Overall support

EU humanitarian aid in Syria focuses on addressing critical life-saving needs as well as paving way towards early recovery by improving access to basic services for a deprived population. The assistance is channelled through EU humanitarian partners across the country: NGOs, UN agencies and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. They support the most vulnerable with food assistance, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, shelter, education, cash and emergency livelihood, as well as nutrition assistance.

The EU calls for full respect of International Humanitarian Law by adhering to the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. It also urges for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructures and the unimpeded, safe and sustained humanitarian access and delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need in all parts of Syria.

The EU also funds humanitarian aid in countries across the region – Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt – which hosts millions of Syrian refugees.

Facts & figures

16.5 million people need humanitarian assistance in 2025.

Around 7 million remain internally displaced across the country, including 1.5 million living in camps and camp-like settlements.

Almost half of the population lacks access to sufficient safe drinking water.

Over 14.6 million people are food insecure.

Between 2.5 and 3 million children are out of school.

16.3 million people are in need of protection services.

As of November 2025, more than 1.2 million Syrians have crossed back to Syria from other countries, with most returnees coming from Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan, and over 1.9 million internally displaced persons returned. 

Over 3.9 million registered Syrian refugees in the region, including: 
 

• Over 2.38 million in Türkiye
• Over 636,000 in Lebanon
• Over 436,000 in Jordan 

EU humanitarian funding inside Syria:
More than €204 million in 2025

Total assistance by the EU and its Member States to the Syria crisis:
More than €37 billion since 2011

_{Last updated: 14/11/2025}