United Nations, June 21 (RHC)-- A new United Nations report finds that nearly 71 million people were displaced last year by war, persecution and other forms of violence.  That number is more than 2 million people higher than the preceding year and represents a jump of 65% from a decade age.

Nearly 26 million refugees were recorded in 2018, over half of them under the age of 18.  Of those, less than 100,000 were resettled.  Over 41 million people worldwide were internally displaced, and 3.5 million were registered as asylum seekers.  

Syria represents the highest number of refugees at 6.7 million, while Ethiopians represented the largest newly displaced population last year, the vast majority internally displaced due to intercommunal conflict.