When do Refugees Return Home? Evidence from Syrian Displacement in Mashreq
This paper provides an empirical analysis of refugee returns to the Syrian Arab Republic. Since 2011, about 5.6 million Syrians—more than a quarter of the country’s pre-conflict population—have been registered as refugees. By mid-2018, only about 1...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/337921622814018264/When-Do-Refugees-Return-Home-Evidence-from-Syrian-Displacement-in-Mashreq http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35725 |
| Summary: | This paper provides an empirical
analysis of refugee returns to the Syrian Arab Republic.
Since 2011, about 5.6 million Syrians—more than a quarter of
the country’s pre-conflict population—have been registered
as refugees. By mid-2018, only about 1.8 percent of them had
returned to Syria voluntarily. This paper compiles a novel
data set with administrative data for 2.16 million refugees,
existing and new household surveys, a new conflict-events
database, and nightlights data for Syria to analyze the
correlates of these returns. A reduction in conflict
intensity and an increase in luminosity in Syria strongly
increase the likelihood of refugees’ return. Differential
return rates are observed along key demographic
characteristics, such as age, gender, and family status
between high and low conflict intensity areas.
Interestingly, improvements in the conditions faced by
refugees in exile can also increase the likelihood of return. |
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