There are over 43.3 million displaced children in the world, the United Nations’ children’s agency said Wednesday.

Alarming Increase in Displaced Children

“For more than a decade, the number of children forced to flee their homes has risen at an alarming rate, and our global capacity to respond remains under serious strain. The increase is in step with the consistent onslaught of conflict, crises and climate disasters around the world,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

Most Displaced Children Spend Childhood as Refugees

The report which is published annually, pointed out that most displaced children spent their entire childhood in that way, and “the number of children forcibly displaced from their homes doubled in the last decade.”

War in Ukraine Displaces Millions of Children

The war in Ukraine forcibly displaced 2 million children, and 1 million were internally displaced.

60% of Displaced Children Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence

Of the 43.3 million children who were forcibly displaced by the end of 2022, almost 60% (25.8 million) were internally displaced by conflict and violence, said the report.

Record Number of Refugee and Asylum-Seeking Children

The number of refugee and asylum-seeking children hit a new record of 17.5 million — a number that does not include newly displaced in 2023, including by the conflict in Sudan.

Conflict in Sudan Displaces Nearly 1 Million Children

The report said 940,000 children have already been displaced due to the conflict in Sudan, and noted extreme weather events also displaced millions of children.