Around a quarter of a million people have been killed and millions displaced, while those still in or near their homes are experiencing extraordinary hardship.
Following five years of civil war and as peace talks stall, world leaders meeting in London have announced they've raised over US $10 billion in aid for Syria.
US $6 billion is to be received this year, while an additional US $5 billion is to be spent by 2020.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon thanked the nations for their generosity.
"Never has the international community raised so much money on a single day for a single crisis. The Supporting Syria and the Region conference has been a great success."
The money will go some way towards helping the six million Syrians displaced within the embattled nation, and the more than four million refugees that have fled across its borders.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says his country will accept any Syrian refugees that come, in addition to the 2.5 million already in his country.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, reminded leaders that those stuck inside the country are also faring badly, with some on the brink of starvation.
"But obviously if people are reduced to eating grass and leaves and killing stray animals in order to survive on a day-to-day basis, that is something that should tear at the conscience of all civilised people and we all have a responsibility to respond to it."
Australia has announced it will give AU $5 million to Iraq, and a further AU $20 million to refugees from Syria.
A number of personnel will also be deployed to Lebanon and Jordan to support basic needs for affected Syrians, including education, sanitation and logistics.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia has made substantial contributions since the start of the crisis.
"Australia's response to the Syrian and Iraq crises has been significant. In fact, it has been one of our largest-ever crisis responses: humanitarian assistance to date totalling AU$233 million since 2011; a major military contribution to the anti-Daesh coalition, which is expected to cost around AU $400 million this financial year alone; and offering permanent resettlement to 12,000 Syrian refugees estimated to cost around AU $830 million over four years, in addition to our annual intake of refugees."
However critics have called the amount inadequate, particularly when other, smaller countries pledged more.
Norway has promised the equivalent of more than AU $1.38 billion over the next four years.
But Ms Bishop says taken collectively, Australia's financial aid to military, humanitarian and refugee settlement from Syria and Iraq has totalled more than AU $1.5 billion to date.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai welcomed the donations but is urging the global community not to become discouraged by the delay in peace talks.
She says the people of Syria need help now.
"It's really disappointing that this conflict took so long, but we are hoping that a time will come that peace will be restored and that campaign will continue. But for example if it's going to take five years or ten years or it just gets solved in one year, but that should not be an excuse to ignore the lives of all Syrian refugees right now."
