4 million have fled Syria, U.N. report says

WASHINGTON — As Syria's conflict enters its fifth year, the number of people who have fled the country has topped 4 million.

That's according to a report released Thursday by the U.N. refugee agency. It estimates that an additional 7.6 million Syrians remain displaced within the country — meaning that roughly half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes since the war broke out.

"This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation. It is a population that needs the support of the world but is instead living in dire conditions and sinking deeper into poverty," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in a news release.

The majority of those who have fled Syria are in neighboring countries. In Lebanon, more than 1 million Syrian refugees now make up a quarter of the overall population, a reality that has caused no shortage of friction.

In some Turkish cities, destitute Syrian refugees are a ubiquitous sight, with homeless families camped out in parks and children begging.

The United Nations has made repeated entreaties for international aid to ease the plight of Syria's uprooted millions. The refugee agency estimates that it needs $5.5 billion in 2015 alone to fulfill its mission, but it says less than a quarter of that sum has been received.

"Life for Syrians in exile is increasingly tough. Some 86 percent of refugees outside camps in Jordan live below the poverty line of $ 3.20 per day. In Lebanon, 55 per cent of refugees live in sub-standard shelters," the United Nations reported.