Asylum-seeker numbers rise by a quarter

The number of asylum-seekers in industrialised countries has risen by nearly a quarter, driven by the wars in Syria and Iraq, with Germany the top destination, the UN refugee agency said yesterday.

From January to June, the total number of people requesting refugee status in such countries rose to 330,700, a 24-percent increase on the same period in 2013, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said.

"We are clearly into an era of growing conflict," said UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres in a statement.

Based on historical norms of higher numbers of asylum-seekers in the second half of each year, UNHCR said the 2014 total could hit 700,000.That would mark a level unseen since the 1990s Balkan wars sparked by the break-up of Yugoslavia.

The UNCHR figures were based on data received from 44 governments in Europe, North America and parts of the Asia-Pacific region. In 2013, a total of 612,700 people had made asylum applications in the 44 countries.