More than 600,000 displaced Syrians have returned to their homes since the beginning of the year, with most of them heading to Aleppo, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Between January and the end of July, the IOM said in a statement, 602,759 displaced Syrians returned to their homes, many of them citing an improved economic and security situation in the areas they had fled from, AFP reported.

A total of 84% of those who have returned had taken refuge elsewhere within the country, while the remaining 16% returned from neighbouring countries Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

More than a quarter of returnees said they did so to protect their assets and properties, while nearly the same number referred to the improved economic situation in their place of origin, and 11% cited the improved security situation.

Meanwhile, 14% pointed to the worsening economic situation in their place of refuge, IOM said.

Aleppo governorate received 67% of all returnees so far this year, the IOM said.

And even as returns from within Syria appear to be on the rise, the agency warned that the country is still seeing high rates of fresh displacement.

"From January to July 2017, an estimated 808,661 people were displaced, many for the second or third time, and over six million in total currently remain displaced within the country," it said.