UN Predicts: One of Every 6 Syrians a Refugee by Next Year

The number of refugees from Syria next year will reach 4 million, more than one-sixth of the country’s population of 23 million, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA predicted.

An additional 9.3 million will be in need of assistance inside the country, devastated by the civil war that erupted from the Arab Spring protests three years ago.

According the U.N. figures, half of Syria; population will be under refugee status or in need of aid within the country. The refugees have flooded Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq, and many also have arrived in Egypt by the end of 2014.

The situation of embittered Syrians has bloated the OCHA’s 2014 budget requests to $12.9 billion.