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21st Dec 2015

United Nations Report Record-Breaking Number Of Refugees Displaced In 2015

1 in every 122 humans is today someone who has been forced to flee their home.

Ellen Tannam

2015 is on track to see worldwide forced displacement exceeding 60 million people for the first time.

It has been a tumultuous and harrowing year in terms of global conflict with the refugee crisis dominating headlines for many months. 

A million people have crossed the Mediterranean sea as refugees from Syria and other territories plagued by conflict.

The UNHCR have warned that 2015 is likely to exceed all previous records for global forced displacement.

The report which covered the period between January to the end of June and includes refugees, asylum-seekers and people who have to flee inside their own country.

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2015/12/03: UN Secretary-General briefs the press on COP21. Upon his return from the Paris Climate Summit (COP21), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke with the UN press corps, providing his estimation of the conference, outlining key developments pertaining thereto, and answering questions about the ongoing Syrian crisis. (Photo by Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon

The global refugee total, which a year ago was 19.5 million, had as of mid-2015 passed the 20 million threshold (20.2 million) for the first time since 1992. 

High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said: “Forced displacement is now profoundly affecting our times. It touches the lives of millions of our fellow human beings – both those forced to flee and those who provide them with shelter and protection. Never has there been a greater need for tolerance, compassion and solidarity with people who have lost everything.” 

Lead Image – Getty Images