Where in Europe are people seeking asylum?

As the refugee crisis intensifies throughout Europe, the number of people who will be seeking asylum by the end of 2015 is predicted to be staggering. Already this year, several nations have projected large increases. In Germany, the government has warned that the number of asylum seekers may climb as high as 800,000, which would be more than Europe’s entire intake last year. Despite this, in the case of Syrian refugees, Germany will forego the Dublin regulation, which states that refugees must apply to the country of their arrival for asylum.

Nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece and Italy, may be a first port of call for migrants arriving by boat, but many continue on to other countries. For example, although more than 43,500 people arrived in Greece in 2014, the nation only received 9,450 asylum applications, according to the UNHCR.

Other nations have also seen a rising number of asylum seekers. Sweden, which received the second largest amount of asylum requests in 2014, accounted for around 70% of last year’s new claims.

Here you can view a full mapping of asylum applications submitted in Europe between 2010 and 2014, based on data from the UNHCR.

Here are the 10 nations that received the most applications in 2014:

Author: Donald Armbrecht is a freelance writer and social media producer.

Have you read?
How can Europe solve its migrant crisis?
5 ways Europe can share its asylum seekers
How can we solve the global refugee crisis?

Image: Travellers sit on the stairs of a wagon as a train heading for Austria, with migrants on board, is stopped for checks at a border station in Hegyeshalom, Hungary, August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader