Many are fleeing from Afghanistan and Iraq, but the largest group by far comes from civil war-torn Syria.
The exodus has been going on for several years, but it is only in 2015 that the large flows reach Europe. Most flee to neighboring countries. Turkey is receiving almost two million refugees, and Lebanon over a million.
Spring: Thousands of refugees try to cross the Mediterranean. Many drown in poorly built boats. On the night of April 18-19, nearly 700 people die in the worst shipwreck to date.
Summer: The wave of refugees shakes EU cooperation. The reception in Greece has capsized and people are trying to get north, especially to Germany and the Nordic countries. Hungary closes the border and makes it illegal to cross the fence that runs along the border with Serbia. Many still manage to get on.
September 3: The images of three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, who was found drowned on the beach, arouse strong reactions around the world. The images of the boy become a symbol of the refugee crisis. The boy's father tells CNN that his son had been on his way to Sweden.
September 22: EU migration ministers push through the quota distribution of refugees. Four countries vote no: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. The following day, EU leaders agree to strengthen controls at the Union's borders.
October: Sweden breaks record in number of refugees. The previous highest annual figure was from 1992, when 84,018 people sought asylum during the Balkan War.
October 23: All parties except SD and V reach an agreement on migration policy, which includes a certain tightening of refugee policy.
October 27, 2015: More than 700,000 people, mainly fleeing the unrest in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, have reached Europe so far, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. More than 3,000 of these are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.
October 28: Police helicopters will monitor asylum housing in rural Sweden after recent fires at housing. Then-Interior Minister Anders Ygeman calls the attacks "pitiful and despicable."
November 4: The Swedish government requests that the European Commission distribute asylum seekers from here to other EU countries. "The current situation is not sustainable," says Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S).
November 5, 2015: Sweden can no longer guarantee accommodation for all refugees, warns then-Minister of Migration Morgan Johansson (S), hoping for a "damping effect".
November 9, 2015: M demands a refugee stop. The Moderates demand that a large proportion of asylum seekers be rejected directly at Sweden's border.
November 11: Sweden introduces temporary border controls, which come into effect the following day. At the same time, refugees are forced to sleep outdoors as the Migration Board fails to find enough accommodation.
November 24: The government announces that Sweden's asylum legislation will be adapted to the EU's minimum level.
