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The migrant crisis has seen people scrambling to reach the EU after fleeing war-torn countries such as Iraq, Syria and Libya.

The UN says refugee and migrant arrivals in the EU surpassed one million in 2015 but thousands also died on journeys across the sea to a perceived better life.

In the latter part of 2015, migrants also increasingly used road and rail transport to access the EU.

The deaths of 71 migrants who suffocated on board a lorry abandoned in Austria in August 2015 was one of the most distressing examples.

People fleeing war and misery in the Middle East and elsewhere are still arriving from Turkey in flimsy boats in their thousands every day, despite the dangers and the harsh winter weather.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that some 31,000 migrants have reached Greece by sea so far in 2016, hoping to start new lives in Germany, Sweden and elsewhere in the European Union.

Migrants being rescued near the Greek island of Rhodes Credit: Rodiaki.gr

Watch our 90 second video to understand some of the reasons why the migrants are attempting dangerous crossings into Europe and the challenges they face on the journey.

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The EU migrant crisis explained in 90 seconds

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The migrant crisis has seen people scrambling to reach the EU after fleeing war-torn countries such as Iraq, Syria and Libya.

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Data extracted in July 2017. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: July 2018.

This article gives an overview of the development of European Union (EU) population statistics, detailing the two components of population change: natural population change and net migration plus statistical adjustment. More information on net migration is provided within an article on migration and migrant population statistics.

Main statistical findings

EU-28 population continues to grow

The current demographic situation in the EU-28 is characterised by continuing population growth. While the population of the EU-28 as a whole increased during 2016, the population of 10 EU Member States declined. The latest information available is also of interest, as 2016 was the second year (since the series began in 1961) when there was a slight natural decrease in the EU-28. The population change (positive, with 1.5 million more inhabitants) was therefore due to net migration.

On 1 January 2017 the population of the EU-28 was estimated at 511.8 million inhabitants, which was 1.5 million more than a year before. The increase in population numbers during 2016 was smaller than that recorded during 2015 when the population of the EU-28 had risen by 1.7 million.

Over a longer period, the population of the EU-28 grew from 406.7 million in 1960 to 511.8 million in 2017, an increase of 105.1 million people (see Figure 1). The rate of population growth has slowed gradually in recent decades: for example, the EU-28's population increased, on average, by about 1.5 million persons per year during the period 2005-17, compared with an average increase of around 3.3 million persons per year during the 1960s.

In 2016, deaths modestly outnumbered live births in the EU-28 (for the second time since the time series began in 1961), resulting in the aforementioned slight natural decrease in the population. As such, the increase in population recorded during 2016 for the EU-28 could be fully attributed to net migration and statistical adjustment; there were however variations in the patterns observed in the EU Member States as shown below. In 2016, net migration and statistical adjustment accounted for an increase of 1.5 million persons, less than in 2015 (1.8 million); since 1992, net migration and statistical adjustment has been the main determinant of population growth in the EU-28 (see Figure 2).

Net migration in the EU-28 increased considerably from the mid-1980s onwards, while the number of live births fell, and the number of deaths increased. The gap between live births and deaths in the EU-28 narrowed considerably from 1961 onwards (see Figure 3). In recent years, the difference between births and deaths (the natural change in population) has been very low and - as noted above - a natural decrease in population numbers was recorded since 2015 when the number of deaths passed the number of births. Since the number of deaths is expected to increase as the baby-boom generation continues to age, and assuming that the fertility rate remains at a relatively low level, negative natural population change (more deaths than births) could well continue. In this case, the EU-28's overall population decline or growth is likely to depend largely on the contribution made by migration.

Population change at a national level

The population of individual EU Member States on 1 January 2017 ranged from 0.4 million in Malta to 82.8 million in Germany. Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy together comprised more than half (54.0 %) of the total EU-28 population on 1 January 2017 (see Table 1).

The population of the EU-28 increased during 2016 by 1.5 million people. Population growth was unevenly distributed across the EU Member States: a total of 18 Member States observed an increase in their respective populations, while the population fell in the remaining 10 Member States. Luxembourg, Sweden, Malta, Ireland and Austria recorded the highest population growth rates in 2016, with increases above 9.0 per 1 000 persons, above the triple of the EU-28 average of 3.0 per 1 000 persons (see Table 2). Among these five EU Member States with the highest rates of population growth, the fastest expansion in population was recorded in Luxembourg with an increase of 19.8 per 1 000 persons. The largest relative decreases in population were reported by Lithuania (-14.2 per 1 000 persons), Latvia (-9.6) and Croatia (-8.7).

Analysing the two components of population change in the national data, eight types of population change can be identified, distinguishing growth or decline and the relative weights of natural change and net migration - see Table 3 for the full typology. In 2016, the highest crude rate of natural increase of population was registered in Ireland (7.1 per 1 000 persons), followed by Cyprus (4.7) and Luxembourg (3.6). A total of 13 EU Member States had negative rates of natural change, with deaths outnumbering births the most in Bulgaria (-6.0 per 1 000 persons), Lithuania (-3.7), Romania (-3.5), Croatia and Latvia (both -3.4) and Hungary (-3.2). In relative terms, Luxembourg (16.2 per 1 000 persons), Sweden (11.9), Malta (11.2), Germany (9.4), and Austria (8.7) had the highest crude rates of net migration in 2016, while Lithuania (-10.5 per 1 000 persons), Latvia (-6.2), Croatia (-5.4) and Romania (-2.7) recorded the largest negative crude net migration rates.

Among the 18 EU Member States where the population increased in 2016, 14 recorded both a natural increase and net migration contributing to their population growth. In Germany, Spain, Poland and Finland, the positive net migration was the sole driver of population growth, as natural population change was negative.

Of the 10 EU Member States that reported a reduction in their level of population during 2015, three - Croatia, Latvia and Lithuania - recorded a decline largely as a result of negative net migration (although this was supplemented by a relatively low negative rate of natural population change). Conversely, in Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Romania the decrease in the level of population was mostly driven by a negative rate of natural population change (supplemented by a relatively low negative rate of net migration). In Estonia and Italy, the decline in the population was solely due to negative natural change, while net migration was positive.

Data sources and availability

The demographic balance provides an overview of annual demographic developments in the EU Member States; statistics on population change are available in absolute figures and as crude rates.

Population change - or population growth - in a given year is the difference between the population size on 1 January of the given year and the corresponding level from 1 January of the previous year. It consists of two components: natural change and net migration plus statistical adjustment. Natural population change is the difference between the number of live births and the number of deaths. If natural change is positive then it is often referred to as a natural increase. Net migration is the difference between the number of immigrants and the number of emigrants. In the context of the annual demographic balance, Eurostat produces net migration figures by taking the difference between total population change and natural change; this concept is referred to as net migration plus statistical adjustment.

Statistics on population change and the structure of population are increasingly used to support policymaking and to provide the opportunity to monitor demographic behaviour within political, economic, social and cultural contexts. In particular, this concerns demographic developments that focus on a likely reduction in the relative importance of the working-age population and a corresponding increase in the number of older persons. These statistics may be used to support a range of different analyses, including studies relating to population ageing and its effects on the sustainability of public finance and welfare, the evaluation of fertility as a background for family policies, or the economic and social impact of demographic change.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Dedicated section

Fertility (ESMS metadata file - demo_fer_esms)

Mortality (ESMS metadata file - demo_mor_esms)

Population (ESMS metadata file - demo_pop_esms)

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

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Population and population change statistics

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Data extracted in July 2017. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: July 2018. This article gives an overview of the development of European Union (EU) population statistics, detailing the two components of population change: natural population change and net migration plus statistical adjustment.

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The EU needs more immigrants. They need them because places like Germany, that have negative population growth. Which means they will need workers from other countries to work.

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immigrants started coming into Germany in the mid 1980s. The immigrants were war refugees.

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There has never been a more opportune time to reinvestigate the historical development of our society. In 2011, Germany had 80.3 million residents. Of those residents, 15.96 million - almost 19% of the entire population - had a migration background.* In 2005, in comparison, 17.9% of the population had a migration background.

At the same time, Germany's workforce no longer meets the labor demands of today's economy. There are some important parallels to be drawn between the current situation and the era of the so-called economic miracle, which began in the mid-1950s. However, the history of migration in Germany reaches back further than that.

*According to the German Federal Statistics Office: All individuals who have immigrated to the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949, all foreign citizens born in Germany, and all children born as German citizens to at least one parent who immigrated or was born in Germany as a foreign citizen are considered to have a migration background.

From a Land of Emigration to a Land of Immigration

Incessant wars, religious conflicts, famines, political grievances and a lack of prospects forced many people to leave Germany over the centuries. The land's relative population loss was enormous. An estimated six million emigrants left Germany between 1820 and 1920. A large portion immigrated to the USA. The tide of emigration only began to ebb, beginning in 1890, as the industrial era brought economic success to the German Empire. From that point on, the number of individuals immigrating to Germany surpassed the number of Germans who left. Foreign laborers found employment, above all, in the booming centers of the coal and steel industries.

The National Socialist Dictatorship and the Post-War Years

The forced employment of foreigners was one visible sign of the national-socialists' regime of injustice. The camps and the daily sight of forced laborers were simply part of everyday life for the local population. They paid little attention to the situation. The callous indifference displayed in the post-war years toward the issue of forced labor reflects how little it was considered a misdeed.

The years after 1945 were shaped by people in motion as well. The forced mobility of diverse groups of people (refugees, people expelled from their homes through territorial exchange and other so-called displaced persons) altered the structure of the German population. Tensions and conflicts with local residents arose with the influx of refugees and expellees. Socio-cultural and confessional differences, in particular, gave rise to disputes. The number of refugees and expellees only first began to decline at the end of the 1940s. Simultaneously, the growing demand for labor soon outstripped the capacity of the labor force. The labor shortage was particularly acute in the fields of agriculture and heavy industry.

"Guest Workers" as "Human Capital"

The economic recovery and subsequent boom in West Germany exceeded even the boldest forecasts. Economic growth rates of up to 12.1% left the land reeling. The unemployment rate shrank dramatically over a relatively short time span, from 11% in 1950 to less than 1% in 1961. In order to offset labor shortages, the federal government turned to a traditional model of recruiting and temporarily employing foreign workers. The first "Agreement on the Recruitment and Placement of Workers" ("Abkommen über Anwerbung und Vermittlung von Arbeitskräften") was negotiated with Italy in 1955. Further contracts soon followed: with Greece and Spain (1960), Turkey (1961), Morocco (1963), Portugal (1964), Tunisia (1965) and Yugoslavia (1968). Economic and political actors, as well as the general population, assumed that the "guest workers" would not stay long. Based on that assumption, they did not think it necessary to develop any socio-political or infrastructural concepts to account for longer term residence.

Initially, the recruitment agreement with Italy had little impact, and the number of recruited workers remained relatively low. However, after 1959, the foreign population in Germany rapidly increased. Just a few years later, in 1964, the arrival of the millionth "guest worker," Rodrigues de Sá of Portugal, was celebrated.

During this era, foreign workers were employed primarily as unskilled and semi-skilled laborers in sectors were piece work, shift work and assembly line positions could be found. They took on jobs that German laborers considered unattractive. This made it possible for many West Germans to move up into more favorable or more qualified positions. In this way, foreign workers massively boosted upward mobility among the core workforce, without enjoying the same level of benefit. Although foreign workers were formally considered equal to their German counterparts, lack of training, non-recognition of foreign certifications and language deficits limited the "guest workers" to the lowest wage categories.

The economic crisis of 1966-7 exacerbated the tensions over the recruitment of foreign laborers. West Germans had become accustomed to steady growth through the post-war years. This first post-war recession was a hard blow to the ego of the proud "Republic of the Economic Miracle." In the area of labor market policy, this recession-induced insecurity led to heated and critical debates about the sense in employing foreign workers.

The 1973 Recruitment Ban and its Consequences

The recruitment ban (Anwerbestopp), set forth in a directive on November 23, 1973, marked the end of the era of foreign labor recruitment to West Germany. The ban completely blocked the entry of "guest workers" from lands which were not members of the European Economic Community (EEC). Those seeking to legitimate the decision pointed to the "price shocks" that accompanied the 1973 oil crisis. But in truth, the oil crisis simply proved to be a convenient moment to attempt to shrink the foreign population. However, the hope that the "guest worker issue" would resolve itself, through voluntary return, proved to be very unrealistic. Fearing they would not be able to return to work in Germany, many foreign laborers chose not to leave the country at all. This necessary change in the plans on the part of many "guest workers" transformed their anticipated short-term stay into permanent residence. Through the right to family reunification, many foreign laborers arranged the subsequent immigration of their family members to Germany.

The 1980s and 1990s

While immigration figures remained modest through the 1980s, the numbers rapidly grew again in the early 1990s. At times, they even surpassed the highest rates from the "guest worker" era. The vast geo-political changes of that era led to rising number of migrants, asylum seekers and ethnic Germans returning from former German settlements in Eastern Europe. In particular, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the wars in former Yugoslavia and the human rights crisis in the Kurdish region of Turkey spurred the influx. Simultaneously, xenophobic resentments grew over the course of German reunification. This rising wave of racism and xenophobia culminated in a string of incidences of mob violence (in Hoyerswerda, Rostock, Mölln, Solingen and elsewhere). As immigration rates began to decline again in the mid-1990s, incidences of brazen violence against residents with migration backgrounds also diminished.

One central reason for the shrinking numbers from the mid-1990s is the so-called "Asylum Compromise." Since its implementation in 1993, individuals who have fled lands deemed by the German government to be "free of persecution" and all those who have traveled through "safe third-states" on their way no longer qualify for asylum in Germany. Because it only shares its borders with "safe third-states," it has therefore become impossible for refugees to legally enter Germany overland.

2000: From Heredity to a Territorially Based Right to Citizenship

In the year 2000, dual citizenship became possible in Germany. This change enables children born in Germany to foreign-born permanent residents to hold a German passport as well. This is no small policy shift: it signifies a fundamental transformation of the understanding of German citizenship. Whereas the right to the German nationality was previously only available through hereditary links (ius sanguinis), it is now available to individuals born on German territory (ius soli) too. However, only the children of EU-citizens or parents from states with special agreements with Germany may keep their dual citizenship long-term. All others must choose one of their nationalities upon reaching legal adulthood.

Developments in the new Millennium
The legal frame
In 2005 the new immigration law (Gesetz zur Steuerung und Begrenzung der Zuwanderung und zur Regelung des Aufenthalts und der Integration von Unionsbürgern und Ausländern) came into effect. With this Germany declared itself as a country of immigration. Integration was defined as a legal duty. The law aimed to simplify the current procedure: many different residence titles for specific purposes, which even experts described as being complicated were simplified into two: the temporary residence permit (befristete"Aufenthaltserlaubnis") and the permanent settlement permit (unbefristete " Niederlassungserlaubnis"). Furthermore, the law aimed to simplify the corresponding processes. Moreover, it was the first time that language courses became a legal requirement.

The first Integration Summit took place in 2006. The Federal Chancellor, religious representatives and communities, media, unions, sport associations, employers, charitable organisations and migrants took part. The trigger was the results from the PISA study which said that success in the educational system is linked to the origin and the educational background of one's family. The Integration Summit led to the development of the national integration plan. Here the focus was on creating a dialog with Muslims. As a result there was the first so-called Islam Summit which also took place in 2006. The Government, Muslim associations and individuals participated.

The aforementioned national integration plan was implemented in 2007. In the same year amendments were made to the immigration law because of EU guidelines. A third residence title was introduced: the permission for permanent residence ("Erlaubnis zum Daueraufhalt-EG"). Since then those people that had been tolerated ("Geduldete") could receive a permanent residence permit, if they fulfilled certain criteria. There were also changes made to the conditions for spouses to follow their partners. The spouses must be of age and be able to prove basic German language skills.

A naturalisation test was introduced on the 1 st September 2008. In order to receive German citizenship 17 out of 33 questions must be answered correctly. The test aims to aid integration because it forces the person to occupy themselves with the German language, history, laws, society and culture. Furthermore, a high language level than before is required.
Figures and Structure of Immigration
In the past years the number of people with a migration background has risen. In 2013 there were roughly 16.5 million people, so 20.5% of the population who had a migration background. In 2011 this was 19.5%, whilst in cities 46% of children had a migration background. In 2005 it was 15.3 million people which was 19% of the population. The term "migration background" is disputed. The Statistical Federal Office defines people with a migration background as people "who moved to the present territory of the Federal Republic of Germany after 1949, all foreigners born in Germany and all people born in Germany with German nationality who have at least one parent who immigrated to Germany or is a foreigner who was born in Germany". The term has been used since 2005. Away from the official definition the question arises of how the person feels; what is the self-perception of the people who fall under this definition?

In 2013 1.2 million people came to Germany. Simultaneously 797,000 people left Germany. This resulted in a plus of 403,000 people. This was the highest plus since 1993. Of the 1.2 million immigrants 755,000 (62%) came from within the EU. The largest country of origin was Poland.

The Blue Card was introduced in 2012. The aim was to simplify the process of receiving a work and residence permit within the EU for highly qualified professionals from outside of the EU. Among other reasons the Blue Card is criticised for having a high minimum wage requirement (66,000 Euros per annum).

A further immigration trend is high potentials coming to Germany from the south of Europe. Due to high unemployment, especially amongst younger people, more and more qualified professionals are coming to Germany. For example in 2011 the number of Greek immigrants rose by 78% and the number of Spanish and Portuguese immigrants by over 50%. Of these immigrants 50-70% have a degree.

Furthermore, Germany is a popular country for studying. In total there are 86,000 students in Germany who have earned their higher education entrance qualification outside of Germany.

The number of asylum applicants has also risen steeply in the last years. Between 2012 and 2013 there was a 70% increase. In total there were 109,580 applications in 2013. Between 2013 and 2014 the figure increased by a further 60%. In 2014 23% of the applicants came from Syria, 10% from Serbia and 8% from Eritrea. In January 2015 24.6% applicants came from Syria, 14% from Kosovo and 9.4% from Serbia. In comparison to other countries such as Lebanon or Turkey Germany offers very few people asylum. Moreover, the cities and communities are often not prepared for the arrival of refugees. The temporary accommodations are overcrowded and turn into semi-permanent solutions.
Prejudices and Stereotypes
De facto Germany is a country of immigration; however, it is not a society of immigration. There are still many prejudices and stereotypes that have a negative impact on living together in society.

One example of a prejudice is that people come to Germany to exploit the welfare system. However the facts paint a different picture: Germany profits from the immigrants. They boost the economy, contribute towards the welfare system and help reduce the lack of professionals.

Photos: The Portuguese guest worker Armando Rodrigues de Sá with his gift. Köln-Deutz, 1964, Helmut Koch.

Covers of the Magazine "Der Spiegel", 41/1964 and 09/2013

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There has never been a more opportune time to reinvestigate the historical development of our society. In 2011, Germany had 80.3 million residents. Of those residents, 15.96 million - almost 19% of the entire population - had a migration background.* In 2005, in comparison, 17.9% of the population had a migration background.

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The debate over immigration has thrown politics on both sides of the Atlantic into confusion.

In the United States, Republicans are divided over the nominee their voters have chosen for the presidency and his incendiary comments about migrants. Meanwhile, as Britain prepares to leave the European Union, the British prime minister has said he will step down, and the leader of the opposition there just lost a vote of confidence among members of his own party.

Control over immigration was a major issue in the campaign over whether Britain would remain in the E.U. Polls closed there last week just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in the controversy over President Obama's immigration policy.

Demographers project more and more immigrants for decades to come. Last Thursday's events raise troubling questions about the ability of political institutions in the developed world to cope with their arrival.

Annual net immigration into Europe is projected to increase steadily from current levels for another 20 years. This year, just over 1 million immigrants will arrive in the Europe, according to Eurostat, the statistical agency of the E.U. That figure will reach an apex of nearly 1.5 million in 2036, the agency projects.

If current trends hold, immigration to Europe will not subside below its current level until 2069. The continent will have seen net immigration of 77 million people in that time. The figure includes immigrants to the 28 members of the E.U. as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

By 2080, these migrants and their progeny will have increased the population of the E.U. by 121 million, relative to what the continent's population would be then without any immigration. The result will be a Europe that is substantially more diverse than it is today.

For example, the number of European Christians is projected to decline by about 18 percent, to 454 million, between now and the middle of the century, according to the Pew Research Center. The center predicts that the number of European Muslims will nearly double, to about 71 million.

To be sure, these are only projections. If Europe's economic woes continue, the continent will be less attractive to potential immigrants in Asia and Africa. If the population in Asia and Africa does not grow as fast as forecasters anticipate, there will be fewer migrants as well.

European governments could also try to reduce levels of legal immigration by preventing migrants from crossing their borders and deporting those who do illegally. Efforts to reduce immigration have only a mixed record of success, however. When one crossing is policed, migrants inevitably find other routes to their destinations.

In the United States, there is evidence that enforcement along the border with Mexico might even have worsened the problem. Some experts on immigration argue that had the federal government allowed Mexican laborers to move freely across the border, they would have traveled back and forth alone, between work and their families. But because U.S. authorities made the journey costly and dangerous, some say, many migrants decided to cross the border just once, taking their families with them.

By one estimate, instead of reducing the number of migrants living illegally in the United States, enforcement along the Mexican border has increased that population by 44 percent by encouraging workers to take their families with them on the journey north. Some researchers dispute these figures. There also is no consensus that the manpower and resources dedicated to controlling the border have reduced illegal immigration.

Europe's efforts to control illegal migration might be more successful, in part because the Mediterranean is a natural barrier and because fewer people are trying to go to Europe. An average of 1.6 million immigrants arrived in the United States every year between 2000 and 2005, Pew estimates.

The rate of immigration has declined since then and is not expected to accelerate as it is in Europe. All the same, the share of the U.S. population born outside the country should continue to increase, according to Pew, from 14 percent today to 18 percent five decades from now.

The organization projects that future immigrants and their progeny will increase the U.S. population by 103 million in 2065 relative to what the population would be without additional immigration.

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Europe's immigration crisis is just beginning

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The debate over immigration has thrown politics on both sides of the Atlantic into confusion. In the United States, Republicans are divided over the nominee their voters have chosen for the presidency and his incendiary comments about migrants.

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Shows the population all together and how migrants have changed it.

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Shows how Germany needs migrants because they help Germany's decreasing population

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How many migrants coming into the countries

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How many migrants coming into the countries

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The vast majority arrived by sea but some migrants have made their way over land, principally via Turkey and Albania.

Winter has not stemmed the flow of people - with 135,711 people reaching Europe by sea since the start of 2016, according to the UNHCR.

1. Which countries are migrants from?

The conflict in Syria continues to be by far the biggest driver of migration. 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.

2. Where are migrants going?

3. How do migrants get to Europe?

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.

This compares with 280,000 arrivals by land and sea for the whole of 2014. The figures do not include those who got in undetected.

The EU's external border force, Frontex, monitors the different routes migrants use and numbers arriving at Europe's borders and put the figure crossing into Europe in 2015 at more than 1,800,000.

Most of those heading for Greece take the relatively short voyage from Turkey to the islands of Kos, Chios, Lesvos and Samos - often in flimsy rubber dinghies or small wooden boats.

4. How dangerous is the journey?

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.

The summer months are usually when most fatalities occur as it is the busiest time for migrants attempting to reach Europe.

But in 2015, the deadliest month for migrants was April, which saw a boat carrying about 800 people capsize in the sea off Libya. Overcrowding is thought to have been one of the reasons for the disaster.

5. Which European countries are most affected?

The figure for Germany was 587 and for the UK it was 60 applications for every 100,000 residents. The EU average was 260.

6. How has Europe responded?

Tensions in the EU have been rising because of the disproportionate burden faced by some countries, particularly the countries where the majority of migrants have been arriving: Greece, Italy and Hungary.

Another 54,000 were to be moved from Hungary, but the Hungarian government rejected this plan and will instead receive more migrants from Italy and Greece as part of the relocation scheme.

The UK has opted out of any plans for a quota system but, according to Home Office figures, 1,000 Syrian refugees were resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme in 2015. Prime Minister David Cameron has said the UK will accept up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years.

7. How many asylum claims are approved?

Although huge numbers have been applying for asylum, the number of people being given asylum is far lower.

In 2015, EU countries offered asylum to 292,540 refugees. In the same year, more than a million migrants applied for asylum - although applying for asylum can be a lengthy procedure so many of those given refugee status may have applied in previous years.

A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

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Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts

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The vast majority arrived by sea but some migrants have made their way over land, principally via Turkey and Albania. Winter has not stemmed the flow of people - with 135,711 people reaching Europe by sea since the start of 2016, according to the UNHCR. 1. Which countries are migrants from?

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Europe will always need migrants, and foreign migration will be a big concern.