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»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp number of refugees forced to flee fighting in Syria has reached 2 million people â€� half of whom are children - the United Nations has announced today.

»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp milestone means around 1 in 10 of Syria’s pre-war population have now fled the country. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that an average of 5,000 Syrians are crossing its borders into neighbouring countries every day to seek safety.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:

It’s shocking that there are now 2 million Syrian refugees. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp number has doubled in the last 6 months alone.

Neighbouring countries who have accepted these refugees have shown huge generosity but also shouldered huge burdens. Britain has given its largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. »Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp international community must follow this lead and provide the long term support needed for host countries to cope.

»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp UK is responding accordingly, with British support providing:

• food for over 285,000 people every month
• clean drinking water for almost 1 million people
• almost 300,000 medical consultations
• and over 300,000 relief items such as blankets and kitchen sets

Within Syria, more than 4 million people have had to flee their homes, while more than 100,000 people have been killed. Syria now has more displaced people than any other country with around a third of its population forced from their homes.

For full details of the UK’s Syria crisis humanitarian response, please see: Syria crisis: Latest updates on UK aid

For all news on how the UK government is responding to events in and around Syria, please visit: UK and Syria