The UN releases data suggesting forced displacement globally is at its highest in decades.
Conflict or persecution forced a record 65.6 million people worldwide to flee their homes by the end of 2016. That equates to one person displaced every three seconds.
ADVERTISEMENTThe United Nations released the figure on Monday (June 19), the eve of World Refugee Day.
According to the findings of its Global Trends report, children under the age of 18 make up over half of the refugee population.
Unaccompanied or separated minors – largely from Afghanistan or Syria – lodged around 75,000 applications in 70 countries last year, although it is thought this figure could be higher, due to incomplete data.
While around half a million people returned to their countries of origin, an estimated ten million are believed to be stateless.
