The United Nations (UN) says the number of Venezuelans who have left their country in recent years has surpassed 4 million.

The U.N. refugee agency said Friday the number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants rose by 1 million after November

Accordding to the report, the situation indicates a rapid escalation in the months since dozens of nations said Nicolas Maduro won a new presidential term in an illegitimate election last year.

The agency also said Latin American countries host most Venezuelans, with more than 1.3 million in Colombia followed by 768,000 in Peru.

The announcement came ahead of a planned tour on Friday by UNHCR envoy Angelina Jolie.

Jolie is scheduled to spend two days on the Colombian border with Venezuela to assess the migrant crisis caused by the country's tumult.(VOA)