The figures were released as UNICEF, marks 70 years of relentless work in the world's toughest places to bring life-saving aid, long-term support, and hope to children whose lives and futures are threatened by conflict, crises, poverty, inequality and discrimination.
The impact of conflict, natural disasters and climate change is also forcing children to flee their homes, trapping them behind conflict lines, and putting them at risk of disease, violence and exploitation.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly three-quarters - 393 million - of the global number of children living in countries affected by emergencies. In South Sudan alone, 59 per cent of primary-aged children are out of school and 1 in 3 schools is closed in conflict affected areas.
Most of these found shelter in Uganda where thousands sought refuge as a result of ongoing insecurity and late rains that led to failed crops and severe food insecurity. An estimated 2.8 million people, or a quarter of the population, are facing acute food and nutrition insecurity as a result of prolonged conflict in the country, an intensifying economic crisis and diminished household food stocks.
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Somalia, are the other countries in the region where children have been uprooted - more than half of them driven from their homes by conflicts. The Sub Saharan Africa region is closely followed by the Middle East and North Africa.
"UNICEF was established to bring help and hope to children whose lives and futures are endangered by conflict and deprivation, and this enormous figure - representing the individual lives of half a billion children - is a sharp reminder that our mission is becoming more urgent every day," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
He added that the emergencies faced today by the most vulnerable children threaten to undermine immense progress made in recent decades. Since 1990, the number of children dying before their fifth birthday halved and hundreds of millions of children have been lifted out of poverty. Out-of-school rates among primary-school-aged children have reduced by more than 40 per cent between 1990 and 2014.
"Whether children live in a country in conflict or a country in peace, their development is critical not only to their individual futures but also to the future of their societies," said Lake.
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