Republic of Türkiye
Republic of Türkiye
A drawing activity at a child-friendly space in Ankara. The theme of the activity was "What are your dreams for the future?" with Syrian and Turkish children attending.
Refugee Situation
Türkiye hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations. According to 2024 year-end statistics, there were 2.9 million Syrian nationals under temporary protection (TP) and 193,340 refugees and asylum-seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine and other countries of origin under international protection in Türkiye. Nearly 99 per cent of refugees in Türkiye are integrated into their host community, rather than living in camps, fostering greater levels of inclusion.
Türkiye’s Response and Implementation of the GCR
Türkiye’s strong legal and policy framework for temporary and international protection forms the basis of its inclusive approach and provides protection procedures such as registration and, with it, rights and access to health, education, and social services, as well as access to formal employment opportunities through issuance of work permits to people seeking asylum in Türkiye.
Refugees benefit from the Turkish social protection system which has different components related to social insurance, social services, and assistance, aiming to alleviate poverty and provide social care for people with specific needs. Refugees also have access to health care on the same basis as Turkish nationals through local hospitals, Migrant Health Centres and units that operate as part of the Turkish community health centres. All school-aged children under temporary and international protection have access to the national public school system and are entitled to receive education free of charge. The number of Syrian youths enrolled in higher education increased to 60,750 in the 2023-2024 academic year, bringing the enrolment rate to approximately 12 per cent.
In line with the whole-of-society approach called for in the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), Türkiye works with international partners and humanitarian organizations to provide support to refugees to ensure their protection and basic needs. These activities are supported through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) coordination mechanism at the national and provincial level. This ongoing and expanding coordination with all stakeholders supports maximum use of resources and effectiveness in the refugee response. Further, integration of refugee considerations into national programs and plans is key to reducing disparities and building resilience.
Türkiye’s legal framework and implementation of the whole-of-society is evidence of the State's commitment to the GCR and its vision for better international burden and responsibility sharing. By providing access to public services and formal employment, Türkiye’s approach to refugee assistance has been recognized in international fora such as the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) as a model, promoting inclusion of persons under temporary and international protection and contributing to sustainable development, while the international community has maintained its strong commitment to supporting this inclusive approach.
Since 2019, as one of the co-conveners of the first GRF, Türkiye has made a variety of pledges – including joining several multi-stakeholder pledges – for children and youth in the areas of education, child protection, and sport, as well as towards solutions including through resettlement and complementary pathways, peacekeeping and providing conditions to enable voluntary returns to Syria.
Pledges made by the Government of the Republic of Türkiye
Multi-stakeholder pledges
News & stories
Public institutions, civil society organizations and the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Türkiye are also engaged in good practices in the refugee response, the list can be found on the good practices portal of UNHCR Türkiye.
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