The number of people forcibly displaced around the world has climbed to a record 110 million, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said, with conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan spurring millions of people to flee their homes.

The increase of around 19 million people to 108.4 million by the end of last year is the biggest annual jump on record, UNHCR said in a report released on Wednesday. 

That number has since risen further to 110 million, mostly due to Sudan's eight-week conflict, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi told journalists.

"We have 110 million people that have fled because of conflict, persecution, discrimination and violence, often mixed with other motives – in particular the impact of climate change," said Filippo Grandi.

"It's quite an indictment on the state of our world," he added.

Numbers likely to increase

Of the 2022 global total, 35.3 million were refugees who fled abroad, with 62.5 million being internally displaced.

There were 5.4 million asylum-seekers and a further 5.2 million other people – predominantly from Venezuela – needing international protection.

"My fear is that the figure is likely to increase more," said Grandi.

He said the swelling displacement this year was being increasingly met with "a more hostile environment, especially when it comes to refugees, almost everywhere."

"Leadership is about convincing your public opinion that there are people that deserve international protection," he said.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees noted that around 76 percent of refugees fled to low- and middle-income countries, while 70 percent stayed in neighboring countries.

Door must 'remain open'

Grandi said Britain's plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda for adjudication was "not a good idea."

He said the U.S. case was more complex, but added: "We are worried... about denial of access to asylum in the United States."

Under tougher new U.S. rules, asylum-seekers are supposed to set up an interview appointment through a smartphone application or processing centers Washington plans in Colombia, Guatemala and other countries.

Grandi welcomed the European Union's steps towards a pact on asylum and migration, calling it a good attempt to balance tensions surrounding the issue, and "relatively fair" to people on the move.

Under pressure to reduce migrant arrivals, EU governments last week agreed on steps to fast-track migrant returns to their countries of origin or transit countries deemed "safe."

Grandi said the way to address the flow of people coming to Europe was to start much further upstream on refugees' long journeys.

However the door to asylum in the EU, the United States and Britain "needs to remain open... People need to be able to seek asylum where they feel safe."

And he added: "Asylum seekers should not be put in jail. Seeking asylum is not a crime."

(With input from Agencies)

(Cover: A general view of the headquarters of the United Nations Refugee Agency in Geneva, Switzerland, March 4, 2022. /CFP)