A record 800,000 people crossed borders fleeing conflict last year, the highest number of new refugees since the beginning of the century, according to the UN’s refugee agency.

The UNHCR 2011 Global Trends Report, which is being released in advance of World Refugee Day on 20 June, tracks the extent of refugees and internally displaced people worldwide.

In 2011, the total number of newly displaced people around the world was 4.3 million. Afghanistan has the most with 2.7 million, followed by Iraq with 1.4 million, Somalia with 1.1 million, Sudan with 500,000 and Congo with 490,000.

The report attributes the high number of refugees last year to the various humanitarian crises around the world, brought on by drought and conflict in Africa and the Middle East.

Julie Walker reports.

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