The number of people forcibly displaced across the world has reached a record of 110 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee, UNHCR.

The agency said the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and Sudan forced millions to escape their homes in search of safety and shelter.

The increase of roughly 19 million people to 108.4 million by the end of last year is the largest annual increase on record.

In a study released on Wednesday, the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, said the figure has subsequently climbed to 110 million, largely caused by Sudan’s eight-week-old conflict.

The statistics show that the world’s low and middle-income countries, not wealthy states, host the most displaced people while stressing that funding for displacement and to support hosts have seriously dropped.

It also indicated that 339,300 refugees were able to return home last year, while 114,300 were resettled in a third country – double of what was recorded in 2021.

Meanwhile, the head of the UN agency has praised president William Ruto of Kenya over his efforts to seek for new solutions for the half million refugees in the east African country.

Ruto and other African leaders are pushing for direct talks with warring Sudanese generals, as part of efforts to resolve the conflict that has paralysed socio-economic activities of Khartoum and other cities across Sudan.