GENEVA - Nearly 69 million people who have fled war, violence and persecution were forcibly displaced last year, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
In its annual report released on Tuesday, UNHCR said continued crises in places like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar that started last year, raised the overall figure of forced displacement in 2017 to 68.5 million.
At least 53 percent of the total displaced are children, including many who are unaccompanied, according to the Global Trends report.
Of that the 65.8 million total, 16.2 million were displaced last year - an average of more than 44,000 people a day, it said.
"This is a global phenomenon that requires international solidarity and cooperation on a global scale," Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, told Al Jazeera from the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
"And this is what the rising figures tell the world.
"Refugees are fleeing violence, war and persecution. We have an obligation to help them," Grandi said. (FA)
