ISTANBUL
Around 5.8 million Syrian refugees have taken shelter in neighboring countries since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011, according to a London-based human rights group.
The number of displaced Syrian refugees has increased to 5.8 million, the opposition activist group Syrian Network for Human Rights said in its latest report.
Around 50 percent of recorded refugees are children, 35 percent are women and 15 percent are men, the report added.
Nearly 5.8 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Turkey came first for sheltering 1.9 million refugees, including 450,000 children and 270,000 women, according to the report.
The report also said around 190,000 people from Syria's border town of Kobani have sought shelter in camps across Turkey after fleeing from attacks by militants of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.
Lebanon came in second place for taking in over one million refugees, including 570,000 children and 190,000 women.
Jordan is third place for also sheltering around one million refugees, including 350,000 children and 175,000 women.
Iraq has taken in 525,000 Syrians including 160,000 children and 50,000 women and Egypt has pledged to shelter 270,300 Syrians including 120,000 children and 75,000 women.
The report also said the countries' economies have been badly affected since 2011 due to the Syrian civil war.
Syria has been gripped by almost constant fighting since the regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011, triggering a conflict which has spiraled into a civil war.
The UN has stopped updating its death toll for the country due to difficulties in verifying casualties.
At least 100,000 deaths were recorded in the last count in July 2013.
www.aa.com.tr/en
