--- description: More than 80% landed in Greece, while most of the others did so in Italy, the UNHCR says title: Over a Million Migrants Entered Europe by Sea in 2015: U.N. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt918be3e94a09cd84/6988772de20a8774ada8ed98/gettyimages-490843246.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [europe](/tag/europe/) ## europe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Over a Million Refugees Reached Europe by Sea in 2015, the U.N. Says by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 30, 2015 4:33 AM CUT  Refugees arrive on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos, near Skala Sikaminias village, Greece, on Oct. 1, 2015, after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey on an inflatable boat Refugees arrive on the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos, near Skala Sikaminias village, Greece, on Oct. 1, 2015, after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey on an inflatable boatMatej Divizna—Getty Images by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 30, 2015 4:33 AM CUT The number of refugees and economic migrants landing on European shores after crossing the Mediterranean has officially crossed 1 million, according to the [latest numbers](http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php "undefined") released by the U.N. Nearly 850,000 of the 1,000,573 arrivals — primarily fleeing violent conflict in parts of the Middle East and North Africa — made landfall in Greece, while just over 150,000 did so in Italy, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported. The total number of seaborne refugees to Europe has increased nearly fivefold over the past year, from just over 200,000 in 2014, in what is the continent’s [largest refugee influx](http://time.com/4065969/the-great-migration-of-2015/ "undefined") since World War II. ### The Tiny Greek Island of Kos at the Center of the Refugee Crisis  A dinghy overcrowded with Afghan migrants arrives on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece, on May 27, 2015. Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images  Afghan migrants arrive on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece, on May 27, 2015. Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images  An Afghan migrant girl holds the hand of a woman as they arrive on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece, on May 27, 2015. Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images  A Syrian refugee prays on the beach after arriving on the Greek island of Kos, via a dinghy boat over part of the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, on May 26, 2015. Yannis Behrakis—Reuters  Hundreds of newly arrived migrants walk toward a temporary shelter after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece, on May 26, 2015. Yannis Behrakis—Reuters  An Afghan migrant family poses next to a deserted hotel, where hundreds of migrants have found temporary shelter, on the Greek island of Kos on May 27, 2015. Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images  Afghan migrants wash next to a deserted hotel, where hundreds of migrants have found temporary shelter, on the Greek island of Kos on May 27, 2015. Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images  A migrant man from Bangladesh brushes his hair in a broken mirror in an abandoned hotel, acting as a temporary shelter, on the Greek island of Kos on May 29, 2015. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images  A mother sits with her two young sons as they get ready to sleep in the corridor of an abandoned hotel that many migrants are using as a temporary shelter on the Greek island of Kos on May 30, 2015. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images  Migrants gather outside the police station on the Greek island of Kos to collect documentation to facilitate their onward journey into Europe on June 1, 2015. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images  An Afghan woman sits with her child at a dock at the port of the Greek island of Kos on May 27, 2015. Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images  Life vests and a deflated dinghy are seen on a beach on the Greek island of Kos, following the arrival of Afghan immigrants, on May 30, 2015. Yannis Behrakis—Reuters ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4163932/europe-sea-migrant-crisis-refugees-arrivals-million/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4163932/europe-sea-migrant-crisis-refugees-arrivals-million/"},"headline":"Over a Million Refugees Reached Europe by Sea in 2015, the U.N. 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