Over a Million Refugees Reached Europe by Sea in 2015, the U.N. Says

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 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 since World War II.

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Please enter a valid email address.

Sign Up Now

Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Rishi Iyengar at rishi.iyengar@timeasia.com.