Over 50 million refugees worldwide
he number of refugees and displaced people worldwide has hit a high not seen since World War II, the United Nations’ refugee agency has revealed. Over 50 million people were forced from their homes by the end of 2013, a rise of six million in just one year.
Conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic have driven up the number, but the figure is expected to rise even further as hundreds of thousands of people flee from their homes in Iraq.
Marking World Refugee Day, the UNHCR said that there are now 51.2 million refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people worldwide. If refugees made up a country, it would be the 26th largest in the world.
