Number of Syrian Refugees Up by 704 000 in H1, 2014 - UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Portuguese Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, photo by EPA/BGNES

The number of Syrian refugees has increased by 704 000 in the first half of 2014 and they are currently the largest refugee group under the mandate of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), according to a newly published report.

A report of the UNHCR released on Wednesday indicated that the number of Syrian refugees could reach 4.2 million by the end of the year from the current level of over 3 million.

UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres, as cited by AFP and the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, said on Tuesday described the ongoing crisis as the worst displacement situation in the world in the past 70 years.

He informed that the number of refugees worldwide had risen to over 50 million for the first time since 1945.

Guterres noted that Syrian refugees accounted for 23% of all refugees who were being assisted by UNHCR worldwide.

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