MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2023) The number of forcibly displaced people reached a record of over 108 million worldwide by the end of 2022 with the figure growing rapidly this year, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Wednesday while presenting its new report.
"... by the end of 2022, the number of people displaced by war, persecution, violence and human rights abuses stood at a record 108.4 million, up 19.1 million on a year earlier, which was the biggest ever increase," the UNHCR said in a press statement.
The UNHCR specified that more than 35 million of the total number were refugees who crossed international borders in pursuit of safety, while a large proportion - 58% (62.5 million people) - were internally displaced.
The conflict in Ukraine was the main cause of displacement in 2022, according to the report.
"The number of refugees from Ukraine soared from 27,300 at the end of 2021 to 5.7 million at the end of 2022 - representing the fastest outflow of refugees anywhere since World War II," the UNHCR said.
The Refugee Agency also noted there are no signs the number of people who had to flee their homes will drop this year. The conflict in Sudan additionally exacerbated the situation, bringing the total number of displaced people in the world to 110 million by May.
