Syrian crisis sees refugee numbers surge - likely to “far surpassed” a record 60m this year

The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide is likely to have “far surpassed” a record 60m this year, mainly driven by the Syrian war and other protracted conflicts, the UNsaid.

The estimated figure includes 20.2m refugees fleeing wars and persecution, the most since 1992, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a report.

Nearly 2.5m asylum seekers have requests pending, with Germany, Russia and the United States receiving the highest numbers of the nearly 1m new claims lodged in the first half of the year, it said.