About 37 Million Children Displaced Worldwide - UNICEF

Conflict, violence, and other crises left a record 36.5 million children displaced from their homes by the end of last year, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates - the highest number recorded since the Second World War, the agency said on Friday.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates conflict, violence and other crises left a record 36.5 million children displaced from their homes by the end of 2021 - the highest number recorded since the Second World War, the agency has said.

This figure includes 13.7 million child refugees and asylum-seekers, and nearly 22.8 million, who are internally displaced due to conflict and violence.

However, not included are children displaced by climate and environmental shocks or disasters, as well as those newly displaced in 2022, including by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The record number of children displaced is a direct result of cascading crises, said UNICEF, including acute and protracted conflicts such as in Afghanistan, and fragility in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Yemen - all exacerbated by the destructive impacts of climate change.

Additionally, children and families are also being driven from their homes by extreme weather events, UNICEF said, such as the drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, and severe flooding in Bangladesh, India and South Africa.