THE United Nations warned yesterday that the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide this year is likely to have “far surpassed” the record of 60 million.

In particular, 20.2 million refugees have fled wars and persecution — the most since 1992 — according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Nearly 2.5 million asylum-seekers have applications pending, with Germany, Russia and the US receiving the highest numbers of nearly a million new claims lodged in the first half of the year.

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

“One in every 122 humans is someone who has been forced to flee from their homes.”

Syria’s war has been the main driver of mass displacement since 2011, with more than 4.2 million having fled abroad and 7.6 million uprooted within their homeland by mid-year.