In the past there was sizable emigration by Syrians to Europe, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere, but emigration had virtually ceased by the late 1940s. Since World War I there has been substantial internal migration from the coastal mountains to the central plains and, in general, from rural areas to the towns. There is considerable migration across the borders with Lebanon and Jordan. About 150,000 Syrians working in Kuwait returned during 1990–91. As of October 1995, there were 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria. In 1997, the Syrian government accepted the UNHCR's protection mandate for all recognized refugees in the country. As of 1999, there were 7,210 registered refugees in Syria, including 3,950 urban refugees in Damascus and another 3,260 refugees living in El Hol Camp in Hassakeh Governorate. In 2000 the net migration rate was -0.2 migrants per 1,000 population. The total number of migrants that year was 903,000 including approximately 391,000 refugees. The government views the emigration level as too high, but the immigration level as satisfactory.
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