GENEVA - The death toll in Syria has risen to more than 2,900 since pro-democracy protests began in March, the United Nations human rights office said on Thursday.

"Based on our detailed list of individual names that we have been keeping, the total number of people killed in Syria since protests began now stands at more than 2,900," Rupert Colville, spokesman for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, told Reuters.

The UN's previous death toll was 2,700. The latest figure -- which Colville noted did not include those who have disappeared or remain unaccounted for -- came a day before the UN Human Rights Council reviews Syria's record, part of the Geneva forum's regular examination of all UN member states.