GENEVA - The number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million globally last year - the highest number in the UN refugee agency's almost 70 years of operations.

The almost 70.8 million people forcibly displaced is 2.3 million more than the previous year, according to the agency's annual Global Trends report.

The figure is also double the level recorded 20 years ago.

The number averaged out to 37,000 new displacements every day.

"What we are seeing in these figures is further confirmation of a longer-term rising trend in the number of people needing safety from war, conflict and persecution," said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi.

"While language around refugees and migrants is often divisive, we are also witnessing an outpouring of generosity and solidarity, especially by communities who are themselves hosting large numbers of refugees."

The number also represents a sharp increase in the number of displaced people as a proportion of the world's population. According to figures kept since the 1951 Refugee Convention, its previous peak was in 1992, at 3.7 per 1,000 of the population. By 2018, the number had more than doubled to 9.3.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, the actual figure for 2018 is likely to be higher, as the number of people displaced by the Venezuela crisis is only partly reflected in the statistics.

About four million Venezuelans have fled their country, according to some figures from countries taking them in, making it one of the world's biggest recent displacement crises.(FA)