Counting Europe's migrants

As European countries struggle to cope with their biggest migration crisis since World War II, here is a range of key numbers that illustrate the drama:
- 13,000 -

In just two days, 13,000 migrants have turned towards Croatia to get around razor-wire barriers at the Serbia-Hungary border. Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic told local television on Friday: "Our capacities to take in more are saturated."

- 106,000 -

The EU border agency Frontex says that since the beginning of the year 106,000 migrants have been rescued in the Central Mediterranean as they sought to reach Italy, six percent fewer than in the same period of last year.

Turkish authorities say they have rescued more than 42,000 migrants from stricken boats headed for Greece since the beginning of the year.
- 160,000 -

EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has proposed relocating 160,000 asylum-seekers across the 28-member union from Greece, Hungary and Italy. The figure includes 120,000 that governments are currently haggling over, and 40,000 from a previous proposal that was finally approved by interior ministers on Monday.

- 213,200 -

The number of asylum seekers soared by 85 percent to 213,200 in the three months from April to June, compared with the same period in 2014, official EU data show. One in five of those people were from Syria, followed by Afghans (13%), Albanians (8%), Iraqis (6%), and Kosovars (5%). The total number of requests for asylum in the 28-member EU now stands at 592,000 but that includes people who were not part of the recent surge of refugees.
- 500,000 -
More than half a million migrants have crossed European Union borders so far this year, Frontex says, though it warns that some might have been counted twice. This shows how hard it is to determine exactly how many people are trying to obtain asylum in the EU. Another reason is that many escape official notice.

Data provided this week by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) put the numbers at 411,567 and 473,887 respectively.

The toll of those who have died or disappeared is estimated by the UNHCR at 2,900.

Greece is the main point of EU entry, accounting for somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of the total, followed by Italy.

- 1,000,000 -

Germany might take in one million refugees this year, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has said. The interior ministry's official estimate still stands at a record 800,000 for now, however.

The southern Bavarian region has taken in nearly 75,000 migrants since September 1, though the pace has slowed since Berlin reinstated border controls. Official EU data show that Germany accounted for 38 percent of all requests for asylum between April and June.

- 12,000,000 -

The number of people officially estimated to have been displaced by the conflict in Syria. That includes eight million displaced within the country and four million abroad, first to neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey before heading to Europe. An estimated 250,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since March 2011.

According to the UNHCR, half of all migrant crossings this year were made by Syrians, but many migrants also come from Afghanistan, Albania, Eritrea, Kosovo, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Somalia.
Source: AFP