Migrant crisis

More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe in 2015. The vast majority arrived by sea but some migrants came over land, principally via Turkey and Albania. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,011,700 migrants arrived by sea in 2015, and almost 34,900 by land.
The main reson of migration is the conflict in Syria. But the ongoing violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, abuses in Eritrea, as well as poverty in Kosovo, are also leading people to look for new lives elsewhere.

Chart shows top 10 origins of people applying for asylum in the EU

Germany received the highest number of new asylum applications in 2015, with more than 400 000. But far more people have arrived in the country (more than a million) before they make asylum claims.
Hungary moved into second place for asylum applications, as more migrants made the journey overland through Greece and the Western Balkans. It had more than 170 000 applications by the end of December. Although huge numbers have been applying for asylum, the number of people being given asylum is far lower.

According to the IOM, more than 3,770 migrants were reported to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015. Most died on the crossing from north Africa to Italy, and more than 800 died in the Aegean crossing from Turkey to Greece.



On these pages we'll show monthly and total number of asylum seekers per European country in 2015.

For more information: BBC
                                  UNHCR
                                  Independent