Facts & Statistics

Refugees profile

More than 75% of Syrian refugees are women and children.

Fewer than 1% of Syria’s refugees will ever get a chance to be resettled overseas.

How many are they?

The U.N. estimates that more than half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, 4 million refugees now live outside Syria and at least 8 million are displaced inside the country.

Nearly four years after the civil war began, more than 250,000 people have died, more than half of whom are believed to be civilians.

Distribution in Europe

Nearly 400,000 Syrians have arrived in Europe this year seeking asylum, with most going to Germany and Sweden.

Canada has committed to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees over four years and has contributed $403 million in humanitarian aid to the Syrian crisis.



Timeline of Syrian Conflict

Civil uprising begins.

Flow of Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries begins as 2,000 cross into Turkey.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees- run Zaatari refugee camp is opened in Jordan.
United Nations says more than 500,000 Syrian refugees have fled by year’s end.
United Nations says more than a million Syrians are now refugees. Growing numbers flee the cities of Deraa, Homs, Aleppo and Damascus.
United Nations says 4.25 million Syrians are displaced within Syria.
António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, calls Syria the “worst humanitarian disaster of our era.”
United Nations says by end of year 2.3 million Syrian refugees have fled into Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
United Nations reports that the number of Syrian refugees has surpassed 3 million with more than a million people having fled in the last 12 months alone.
United Nations reports that in 2014 alone 138, 016 Syrians escaped to and asked for asylum in Europe.
The number of refugees is expected to reach 4 million