The European Union saw an influx of more than one million migrants this year, the International Organisation for Migration said on Tuesday. IOM chief William Lacy Swing told Reuters, "This is three to four times as many migrants and refugees coming north as we had in 2014." Nearly 3,700 people died or went missing during their journey towards Europe, the organisation added.

Nearly half of these migrants were Syrians fleeing the war, 20% were Afghans, and 7% were Iraqis, the IOM and the United Nations said in a joint statement. A vast majority of the migrants arrived by sea in Greece, the statement said.

The IOM added that human smugglers responsible for moving migrants out of their home countries earned at least $1 billion. The smugglers charged anywhere between $2,000 to $6,000 depending on the number of family members and the smuggling ring.