UN: The number of refugees worldwide reaches 60 million

Over the past 10 years the number of refugees in the world has increased by more than 20 million. One of the main reasons for the increase of internally displaced persons has become a civil war in Syria.

The number of refugees fleeing from wars and conflicts around the world, is currently an unprecedented high, reported  on 18 June in its annual survey  the  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). According to the agency, by the end of 2014 there were an 59.5 million people classified as refugees.

According to the report, it is  "the highest figure ever recorded." A year earlier, the number of refugees was less by 8 million - 51.2 million, and ten years ago the number was less than 38 million. Thus by the end of 2015, UNHCR expected to further increase in this category.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutierrez called the situation as "paradigm shift." "We found ourselves in an epoch in which the scale of displacement, as well as the required response outshine all that was before," said Gutierrez.

The rapid growth in the number of refugees, according to the report, was first recorded in 2011 - after Syria's civil war began,  and going so far. The number of refugees from this country is greatest - 11.48 million; then are Afghans (2.59 million) and Somalia (1.1 million.) Over the past five years around the world broke 15 new military conflicts, as well as in  Nigeria, Burundi and Yemen.

Last year, according to the  review of UNHCR, has also increased the number of migrants seeking to reach Europe across the Mediterranean – 219,000 people. At the same time thousands die in the sea due to the shipwrecks.

In Azerbaijan as a result of aggression of Armenia there are about one million refugees and displaced people.-02D-