Refugee crisis: What you need to know

Millions of refugees have fled from war in search of safety in Europe, sparking a crisis as the continent struggles under the influx.

The number of people displaced by violence or conflict today is the highest since World War II, according to the UN.

There are 59.5 million 'forcibly displaced' people in the world.

Every minute eight people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror.

Many are refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria and hundreds of thousands have braved crossing the Mediterranean or come over land to Europe.

Thousands of people are also leaving war-torn or impoverished countries such as Afghanistan, Albania, Eritrea, Iraq and Kosovo.

Since January 2015, more than 800,000 arrived in Europe by land and sea, according to the International Migration Organisation's statistics.

In 2015, 3,423 people died or went missing on the journey.

Asylum claims in Europe have increased by 85% in the past year, figures show.

The majority of the claims are from Syrians fleeing the conflict, followed by Afghanis, Albanians and Iraqis.

While not all claims are granted, the number of applicants show the sheer scale of the crisis Europe is facing.

The number of first time asylum applications increased by 85% in the summer months of 2015, compared with the same quarter of the previous year.

Citizens of 141 countries sought asylum for the first time in the EU in the second quarter of 2015, including refugees from:

Most of the migrants and refugees have been making their way to Germany, with the country receiving 260,000 first time applications for asylum.

This is followed by Hungary with 101,000 claims, and Sweden with 72,000.

The UK has received 32,000 claims, despite opting out of the EU plans to resettle refugees.