ANKARA

Turkey is currently hosting nearly 2.5 million refugees, Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said Wednesday.

The country, which has taken in 2.4 million Syrians since the war started in 2011, hosts the world’s largest refugee population.

"As of today, 2,495,117 people were recorded by migration management,” Akdogan told journalists in Ankara.

He added that 300,000 overseas students attended colleges and universities in Turkey.

Only a small proportion of the refugee population - 276,000 - is being housed in camps in 10 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, Akdogan said.

Turkey has spent around 8 billion euros ($8.73 billion) on providing for the refugee population since 2011.