Share of Syrians who would leave the country if they could in 2015

This statistic shows the results of a survey conducted in January 2015 in Syria. The respondents were asked if - given the chance - they were inclined to leave Syria, or stay. During the survey, 46 percent of respondents stated they would like to move to another country if they could.

Syrian refugees and their destinations

Syria has more internally displaced inhabitants than any other country in the world and the situation in the country also marks the worst refugee crisis of our generation. Four million Syrians have already fled the country, and in January 2015, almost half of the Syrians questioned said they would leave Syria if they could. A mere 30 percent stated they would like to continue living in the country.

Traditionally, the desire to migrate is stronger among the young, more educated and economically better-off population, but in Syria the conditions are so difficult that the desire to migrate is much more widespread. When asked where Syrians would like to migrate, Europe and the Middle East and Africa were among the most popular destinations. A mere 6 percent stated they would like to immigrate to North America.

The largest number of Syrian refugees per capita in any other country is Lebanon, which borders Syria to the west. However, as the overflow of Syrian refugees to neighboring countries becomes too much to handle, more refugees have begun migrating further to Europe; while many countries have exceeded their migrant quotas, others have not. The flow of refugees is not going to stop anytime soon, and more cooperation is needed to deal with the rapid influx of migrants to Europe.