Migrant arrivals into Europe tops one million in 2015

The number of migrants and refugees crossing into Europe by land and sea, including over 970,000 who made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, has reached more than 1,006,000.
1 min read
22 December, 2015
More than one million people have crossed into Europe this year, a symbolic milestone amid the fallout of war, poverty and persecution in Africa and the Middle East.

With just days left in 2015, the International Organisation for Migration says the million mark was crossed on Monday — marking more than a four-fold increase from last year.

Over 800,000 peoople crossed into Greece from Turkey, including more than 455,000 from Syria and over 186,000 from Afghanistan.

Nearly 3,700 others died trying to cross the Mediterranean in Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

“Despite many European countries and people generously helping one million refugees, Europe is doing too little to protect and help vulnerable refugee children and stop families drowning on our shores." said Save the Children UK Campaigns Director, Kirsty McNeill.

"This is the test of our European ideal. When children are dying on our doorstep we need to take bolder action. There can be no bigger priority."

Germany has seen around one million migrants arrive this year, but that figure includes large numbers of people from Balkan countries who arrived earlier in 2015.