</s>Report released ahead of World Refugee Day shows a jump of 300,000 people uprooted over the past year.

A record 65.6 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict or persecution by the end of 2016, the United Nations said.

The number marks a jump of 300,000 from the end of 2015, according to a new report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday.

This is "the highest figure since we started recording these figures," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi told reporters ahead of the report launch.

"By any measure, this is an unacceptable number, and it speaks louder than ever to the need for solidarity and common purpose in preventing and resolving crises," he said.

READ MORE: ‘Staggering’ increase in number of lone child refugees

The figures released ahead of World Refugee Day on Tuesday showed that 10.3 million of the world's displaced people fled their homes last year alone, including 3.4 million who crossed international borders to become refugees.

"This equates to one person becoming displaced every three seconds - less than the time it takes to read this sentence," UNHCR pointed out in a statement.

At the end of 2016, there were about 40.3 million internally displaced people in the world, down slightly from 40.8 million a year earlier, with Syria, Iraq and Colombia accounting for the greatest numbers.

Another 22.5 million people - half of them children - were registered as refugees last year, the UNHCR report showed, pointing out that this is "the highest level ever recorded".

Syrians continued to be the largest forcibly displaced population, with 12 million people at the end of 2016.

Syria's six-year conflict alone has sent more than 5.5 million people seeking safety in other countries, including 825,000 last year alone, accounting for the world's largest group of refugees.

READ MORE: Syria's civil war explained from the beginning

Along with the 6.3 million Syrians displaced inside the country, these numbers show that a nearly two thirds of all Syrians have been forced from their homes, the report said.

The Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 320,000 people, "is becoming a forgotten crisis," he warned.

The UN refugee chief also voiced alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in South Sudan, which he said was currently the world's "fastest growing refugee crisis and displacement crisis".

South Sudan's civil war, which began in December 2013, has left tens of thousands dead and forced a total of 3.7 million people from their homes - nearly a third of the population.

Overall, the refugee population from the world's youngest country swelled 85 percent last year to reach 1.4 million by the end of 2016, the UNHCR report showed.

Besides Syria and South Sudan, Monday's report also pointed to large-scale displacement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan.

And nearly 70 years after Palestinians first fled today's Israel, some 5.3 million Palestinians are currently living as refugees - the highest level ever recorded, UNHCR said.

The report showed despite huge focus on Europe's refugee crisis, it is the poorer countries that host most of the world's refugees.

For the third consecutive year, Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees worldwide, with 2.9 million people.

It was followed by Pakistan (1.4 million), Lebanon (1 million), Iran Iran (979,400), Uganda (940,800), and Ethiopia (791,600).</s>The number of people displaced from their homes across the world reached 65.6 million last year, with the escalating conflict in South Sudan accounting for the rise, the United Nations refugee agency said June 19.

The total number of displaced people worldwide, a figure that includes refugees, asylum-seekers and people uprooted inside their own countries, was about 300,000 higher at the end of 2016 than at the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. That was a smaller increase than in the four previous years.

"Although these figures represent small shifts compared to the previous year ... the relatively stable figures mask a very unstable situation," agency chief Filippo Grandi said.

Some 10.3 million people were newly displaced in 2016, with two-thirds fleeing within their own countries, according to an annual report by the UN agency.

Syria's six-year civil war remained the largest single source of displacement, with 12 million people being displaced -- around two-thirds of the population.

They were followed by some 7.7 million Colombians, 4.7 million Afghans, 4.2 million Iraqis and 3.3 million South Sudanese.

Syria is the only country in which a majority of the population is forcibly displaced. South Sudan, with a little over a quarter, has the next-biggest proportion, the agency said.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa</s>Devastating conflicts, violence and persecution in places like Syria and South Sudan had left a record 65.6 million people uprooted from their homes by the end of 2016, the U.N. said Monday.

That number marks a jump of just 300,000 from the end of 2015, but is more than six million higher than at the end of 2014, according to a fresh report published by the U.N. refugee agency.

This is "the highest figure since we started recording these figures," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi told reporters ahead of the report launch.

"By any measure, this is an unacceptable number, and it speaks louder than ever to the need for solidarity and common purpose in preventing and resolving crises," he said.

The figures released ahead of World Refugee Day showed that a full 10.3 million of the world's displaced people fled their homes last year alone, including 3.4 million who crossed international borders to become refugees.

"This equates to one person becoming displaced every three seconds -- less than the time it takes to read this sentence," UNHCR pointed out in a statement.

Most people who have been forced from their homes flee within their own country, and are defined as internally displaced people, or IDPs.

At the end of 2016, there were some 40.3 million IDPs in the world, down slightly from 40.8 million a year earlier, with Syria, Iraq and Colombia accounting for the greatest numbers.

Another 22.5 million people -- half of them children -- were registered as refugees last year, the UNHCR report showed, pointing out that this is "the highest level ever recorded."

Syria's six-year conflict alone has sent more than 5.5 million people seeking safety in other countries, including 825,000 last year alone, making it the world's biggest producer of refugees.

Along with the 6.3 million Syrians displaced inside the country, these numbers show that a nearly two thirds of all Syrians have been forced from their homes, the report said.

As the Syrian civil war rages on, desperately needed funding for humanitarian aid in the country has begun to dwindle, Grandi said, lamenting that very little of the billions promised at an international donor's conference in Brussels in April had so far materialized.

The Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 320,000 people, "is becoming a forgotten crisis," he warned.

The U.N. refugee chief meanwhile voiced most alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in South Sudan, which he said was currently the world's "fastest growing refugee crisis and displacement crisis."

South Sudan's civil war, which began in December 2013, has left tens of thousands dead and forced a total of 3.7 million people from their homes -- nearly a third of the population.

Overall, the refugee population from the world's youngest country swelled 85 percent last year to reach 1.4 million by the end of 2016, the UNHCR report showed.

And that number has ballooned by a further half million people since then, the agency said, stressing the most of the refugees had left since the "disastrous breakdown of peace efforts" last July.

Syria and South Sudan were far from the only countries where people were being uprooted en masse, with Monday's report also pointing to large-scale displacement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan, just to name a few.

And nearly 70 years after Palestinians first fled today's Israel, some 5.3 million Palestinians are currently living as refugees -- the highest level ever recorded, UNHCR said.

Monday's report also pointed out that, despite huge focus on Europe's migrant crisis, it is poorer countries that host most of the world's refugees.

A full 84 percent of refugees are living in low- and middle-income countries, UNHCR said, blaming this "huge imbalance" on "the continuing lack of consensus internationally when it comes to refugee hosting and the proximity of many poor countries to regions of conflict."</s>A boy rests on the grass during a visit of UNCHR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi to a new site for displaced people outside of the U.N. protected camp, in Bentiu, South Sudan Sunday, June 18, 2017. Thousands of South Sudanese now live in U.N. protected camps, including eighty percent of Bentiu's population. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

GENEVA (AP) — The number of people displaced from their homes across the world due to war and persecution climbed slightly to a record 65.6 million last year, with the escalating conflict in South Sudan largely accounting for the rise, the United Nations refugee agency said Monday.

The figure that includes refugees, asylum seekers and people uprooted inside their own countries was some 300,000 higher at the end of last year than at the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. That was a smaller increase than in the four previous years, prompting the U.N. agency to warn against complacency.

"Although these figures represent small shifts compared to the previous year ... the relatively stable figures mask a very unstable situation," agency chief Filippo Grandi said ahead of the official release of the report Monday. "This is becoming a forgotten crisis."

Of the total, some 10.3 million people were newly displaced in 2016, around two-thirds fleeing within their own countries, according to an annual report by the group. The total refugee population — people who fled their home countries — was about 22.5 million people, and nearly half of those were children. In Germany, which vastly expanded its acceptance of people fleeing war from places like Syria, the number of refugees doubled to over 600,000 last year.

Syria's six-year civil war remained the largest single cause of displacement, with 12 million people — around two-thirds of the population — either uprooted within the country or fleeing abroad, the group said.

They were followed by some 7.7 million Colombians, 4.7 million Afghans, 4.2 million Iraqis and 3.3 million South Sudanese.

Turkey, which has taken in the largest number of Syrians, to a total of 2.9 million at the end of 2015. It has since exceeded 3 million.

Syria is the only country in which a majority of the population is forcibly displaced. South Sudan, with a little over a quarter, has the next-biggest proportion — and fastest growing displaced population overall, the agency said. By the end of 2016, 3.3 million people from the world's newest country had fled their homes, more than half to neighboring countries.

"The international neglect that you see here is matched nowhere else in the world," Grandi told The Associated Press on Sunday while visiting South Sudan's largest internally displaced camp in the town of Bentiu. "Wherever you look there are dead ends."

Thousands of South Sudanese now live in U.N protected camps, including 80 percent of Bentiu's population.

The figures are based on the agency's own data and on numbers reported by governments and non-governmental organizations.

Moulson reported from Berlin. Sam Mednick in Bentiu, South Sudan, contributed to this report.</s>FILE: The UN released figures ahead of World Refugee Day that showed a full 10.3 million of the world's displaced people fled their homes this past year alone. Photo: MAHMUD TURKIA / AFP

GENEVA - Devastating conflicts, violence and persecution in Syria, South Sudan and elsewhere left a record 65.6 million people homeless by the end of last year, the United Nations said on Monday.

That number marked a jump of 300,000 from the end of 2015 and was more than six million higher than at the end of 2014, according to a report published by the UN refugee agency.

It was "the highest figure since we started recording these figures," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi told reporters ahead of the report launch.

"By any measure, this is an unacceptable number, and it speaks louder than ever to the need for solidarity and common purpose in preventing and resolving crises," he said.

The figures, released ahead of World Refugee Day on Tuesday, showed that a full 10.3 million of the world's displaced people fled their homes last year alone, including 3.4 million who crossed international borders to become refugees.

"This equates to one person becoming displaced every three seconds - less than the time it takes to read this sentence," UNHCR pointed out in a statement.

Until 2012, the global displacement number had for years remained relatively stable at around 40 million people, but "we now seem to be landing on a new horrific normal," Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) chief Jan Egeland said Monday.

Most people who were forced from their homes fled within their own country and were defined as internally displaced people, or IDPs.

At the end of 2016, there were some 40.3 million IDPs in the world, down slightly from 40.8 million a year earlier, with Syria, Iraq and Colombia accounting for the greatest numbers.

Another 22.5 million people -- half of them children -- were registered as refugees last year, the UNHCR report showed, "the highest level ever recorded."

Syria's six-year conflict alone sent more than 5.5 million people to seek safety in other countries, including 825,000 last year, making it the world's biggest producer of refugees.

At the same time, desperately needed funding for humanitarian aid in the country had begun to dwindle, Grandi said.

The Syrian conflict, which killed more than 320,000 people, "is becoming a forgotten crisis," he warned.

The UN refugee chief meanwhile, voiced alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in South Sudan, calling it the world's "fastest growing refugee crisis and displacement crisis."

South Sudan's civil war, which began in December 2013, left tens of thousands dead and forced a total of 3.7 million people from their homes -- nearly a third of the population.

Monday's report also pointed to large-scale displacements in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan.

And nearly 70 years after Palestinians first fled Israel as it currently stands, some 5.3 million Palestinians were living as refugees -- the highest level ever recorded.

Monday's report also pointed out that despite the huge focus on Europe's migrant crisis, it was poor countries that hosted most of the world's refugees.

A full 84 percent of refugees were living in low- and middle-income countries like Lebanon, Pakistan, and Ethiopia the UNHCR said, decrying a "huge imbalance".

Uganda had over the past year received more than 2,000 refugees from South Sudan each day -- more than many European countries took in a year, NRC chief Egeland pointed out.

The impression that refugees mainly went to wealthy countries "is a complete myth," he said.</s>The number of people displaced from their homes across the world due to war and persecution climbed slightly to a record 65.6 million last year, with the escalating conflict in South Sudan largely accounting for the rise, the United Nations refugee agency said Monday.

The figure that includes refugees, asylum seekers and people uprooted inside their own countries was some 300,000 higher at the end of last year than at the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said.

That was a smaller increase than in the four previous years, prompting the UN agency to warn against complacency. “Although these figures represent small shifts compared to the previous year ... the relatively stable figures mask a very unstable situation,” agency chief Filippo Grandi said ahead of the official release of the report Monday. “This is becoming a forgotten crisis.”

Of the total, some 10.3mn people were newly displaced in 2016, around two-thirds fleeing within their own countries, according to an annual report by the group.

The total refugee population people who fled their home countries was about 22.5mn people, and nearly half of those were children. In Germany, which vastly expanded its acceptance of people fleeing war from places like Syria, the number of refugees doubled to over 600,000 last year.

Syria's six-year civil war remained the largest single cause of displacement, with 12mn people around two-thirds of the population either uprooted within the country or fleeing abroad, the group said. They were followed by some 7.7mn Colombians, 4.7mn Afghans, 4.2mn Iraqis and 3.3mn South Sudanese. Turkey, which has taken in the largest number of Syrians, to a total of 2.9mn at the end of 2015. It has since exceeded 3mn.

Syria is the only country in which a majority of the population is forcibly displaced. South Sudan, with a little over a quarter, has the next-biggest proportion and fastest growing displaced population overall, the agency said. By the end of 2016, 3.3mn people from the world's newest country had fled their homes, more than half to neighbouring countries.

“The international neglect that you see here is matched nowhere else in the world,” Grandi told The Associated Press on Sunday while visiting South Sudan's largest internally displaced camp in the town of Bentiu.

“Wherever you look there are dead ends.” Thousands of South Sudanese now live in UN protected camps, including 80 per cent of Bentiu's population.

The figures are based on the agency's own data and on numbers reported by governments and non-governmental organisations.</s>Refugees and migrants arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos, November 10, 2015. Thomson Reuters More people are displaced from their homes now than at any other period after World War II.

In total, 65.6 million people have been forced to leave their homes by 2016, a new United Nations Global Trends report released Monday found.

The number has grown by more than 300,000 since 2015.

With longstanding wars rocking countries such as Syria and Iraq, the number of displaced people is nearly double the number it was in 1997. In 2016 alone, 10.3 million people were newly displaced from their homes.

While political instability in the Middle East has drawn attention to the global refugee crisis, most displaced people have first tried to flee to other regions of their own country. 40.3 million people are currently internally displaced, 22.5 million are refugees and 2.8 million are asking other countries to grant them asylum, according to the report.

"By any measure this is an unacceptable number, and it speaks louder than ever to the need for solidarity and common purpose in preventing and resolving crises," United Nations High Commissioner Fillippo Grandi said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

65.6 million people are currently displaced from their homes. Graphic by Diana Yukari

While the ongoing conflict in Syria once again contributed to the largest number of displaced people, countries all over the world had high numbers of people who were forced to leave their homes. By 2016, 12 million of the people displaced came from Syria, 7.7 million came from Colombia, 4.7 million came from Afghanistan, 4.2 from Iraq, and 3.3 million from South Sudan.

After decades of conflict between government forces and insurgency groups, Colombia had the highest number of internally displaced people in the world.</s>The number of people displaced from their homes across the world due to war and persecution climbed slightly to a record 65.6 million last year, with the escalating conflict in South Sudan largely accounting for the rise, the United Nations refugee agency said Monday.

The figure that includes refugees, asylum seekers and people uprooted inside their own countries was some 300,000 higher at the end of last year than at the end of 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said.

Of the total, some 10.3 million people were newly displaced in 2016, around two-thirds fleeing within their own countries, according to an annual report by the group. The total refugee population — people who fled their home countries — was about 22.5 million people, and nearly half of those were children.

Syria's six-year civil war remained the largest single cause of displacement, with 12 million people — around two-thirds of the population — either uprooted within the country or fleeing abroad, the group said.

They were followed by some 7.7 million Colombians, 4.7 million Afghans, 4.2 million Iraqis and 3.3 million South Sudanese.</s>Devastating conflicts, violence and persecution in places like Syria and South Sudan left a record 65.6 million people uprooted from their homes by the end of 2016, the UN said today.

"At the end of 2016, there were 65.6 million people forcibly displaced worldwide," the UN refugee agency said in a statement, stressing that this was a "new unprecedented high."
The number of people displaced globally totals 65.6 million after an addition of 10.3 million people displaced in 2016. Syria, Colombia, Afghanistan, Iraq and South Sudan are the countries in the top five.