The United Nations (UN) expects the number of refugees and displaced people throughout the world to far exceed a record 60 million by the end of this year.

In a report issued last Friday, the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) said most of those driven from their homes over the course of last 12 months were fleeing the fighting in Syria and other long-drawn conflicts. 

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"With almost a million people having crossed the Mediterranean as refugees and migrants so far this year, and conflicts in Syria and elsewhere continuing to generate staggering levels of human suffering, 2015 is likely to exceed all previous records for global forced displacement," the report warned.

In all, the number of refugees worldwide had already risen to 20.2 million by the first half of 2015 alone, the report said, marking a significant increase over the 19.5 million refugees counted this time last year.

The number of internally displaced people had meanwhile risen to 34 million by June of this year, as two million more had joined the ranks of the internally displaced during the same timeframe.

In addition, some 2.5 million asylum seekers had requests pending by mid-2015, with nearly a million new claims lodged in Germany, Russia and the US during the first six months of the year.   

The total number of refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced people was estimated at some 59.5 million at the end of 2014.

"Forced displacement is now profoundly affecting our times," UN High Commissioner on Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement.  "It touches the lives of millions of our fellow human beings -- both those forced to flee and those who provide them with shelter and protection." 

The UN refugee agency estimates that war and persecution force a staggering 4,600 men, women and children to flee their homes each day.  "One in every 122 humans is today someone who has been forced to flee their home," the report said.   

The UNHCR warns that as the number of people seeking refuge in places other than their homes rises, so grows the pressure on countries that host them. If left unmanaged, this same pressure can turn into resentment and encourage the politicization of refugees, according to the report. 

"Never has there been a greater need for tolerance, compassion and solidarity with people who have lost everything," Guterres said. 

TagsUN, UNHCR, Germany, Russia, US, Syrian refugees, refugee crisis, asylum seekers