Some 60,000 Colombians spread abroad as refugees: UNHCR
Some 60,000 Colombians have fled the country amid its armed conflicts, the local office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said Monday, on the eve of the World Refugee Day.

Though the figure makes Colombia one of the world's top expellers of refugees, it might be an underestimate as many Colombians have not registered as refugees with the UN body, according to Gustavo Valdivieso, UNHCR spokesman in Colombia.

The number of Colombian refugees would reach 2.5 million if youinclude people who have fled their homes but remained in the country, Valdivieso added.

The UN body said that Ecuador is the country hosting the most Colombian refugees, followed by Venezuela, the United States, Costa Rica, Spain, Panama and Canada. Argentina and Brazil are also considering allowing Colombians to enter as refugees.

Non-governmental organizations estimate that around 310,387 Colombians fled their homes and remained in Colombia in 2005, up 8 percent from 287,600 in 2004. In the meantime, Colombia is home to 155,000 refugees from other nations.

Afghanistan, with more than 1 million citizens living overseas due to its four-decade armed conflict, tops the UNHCR's list.