More than 150,000 refugees entered the European Union in August, increasing the total to more than half a million for the year, the European Union border agency announced.

Though the number of refugees entering Europe had steadily increased over the past 10 months, European leaders were slow to respond, leading to what the EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos called the worst refugee crisis facing Europe since World War II.

Where the refugees are coming from — and where they're going

The distribution of refugees among the members of the 28-member EU has been far from equal. Most refugees are trying to reach rich countries with generous immigration policies like Sweden and Germany, and many Eastern European countries are refusing to take in any refugees.

Most try to reach the Schengen area, 26 countries that have abolished border control and allowed free movement of people and goods.

Once there, they move through Macedonia and Serbia into Hungary, from where many continue their journeys to richer countries. Some also reach Hungary by way of Bulgaria and Romania from Turkey.

Europe's refugee crisis BI Graphics

According to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), EU countries received 437,384 asylum applications from January to July.

The UNHRC also reports that during that time, Germany was by far the country that received the most asylum applications, with 188,486. Hungary came second in place with 65,415 applications, and Sweden took third with 33,234 applications.

Italy was fourth with 30,223, and France was fifth with 29,832 demands.

Many refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war and ISIS have been entering the European Union through Greece — 258,365 refugees entered Greece by boat so far this year — after going through Turkey.

Migrants run from police as they escape from a collection point in Roszke village, Hungary. Reuters/Marko Djurica Other Syrians try to reach Italy from Greece or attempt to head to Austria by going through Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia. An increasingly popular route to enter the Schengen zone is through Norway, by way of Russia and Lebanon.

The refugees entering from African countries are reaching the EU mostly through Italy (121,500 arrivals by sea in 2015) and Spain (1,953 arrivals by sea). Once they arrive in Italy, many apply for asylum there, but some try to cross into France. From there, many attempt the perilous crossing of the Eurotunnel into the United Kingdom.

A group of migrants gathering near a line of trucks waiting on the motorway that leads to the Channel Tunnel terminal in Calais, northern France, on June 24. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Growing numbers and tensions

At his annual state of the union address last week, EU president Jean-Claude Juncker announced a plan to resettle 160,000 refugees throughout the members of the EU.

The plan includes a quota of refugees per country, a measure that has been met with criticism but that was still approved by the European Parliament. Countries in Eastern Europe have vehemently opposed the mandatory relocation of refugees, leading Juncker to suggest that those nations might see their EU funding cut if they continue to refuse to take refugees in.

Germany's vice chancellor said that while the relocation proposal was a first step, it was also "a drop in the ocean that won't solve everything," according to the Associated Press.

Migrants walking away from the border crossing from Hungary in Nickelsdorf, Austria, on Monday. Reuters Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has been one of the most vociferous proponents of keeping the refugees out of Europe. Believing that the refugees are a threat to Europe's Christian identity, Orban has called for tougher border controls.

On Monday, Hungary completed the construction of the fence along its southern border with Serbia, and on Tuesday new laws came into force, allowing Hungary to reject asylum requests from anyone who did not apply for asylum in Serbia. The government also declared a state of emergency in its two southern counties over the refugee crisis, paving the way to deploy the army at the border. Migrants waiting on the Serbian side of the border with Hungary in Roszke on Tuesday. Reuters

The country has been heavily criticized in recent weeks for its treatment of refugees, and the spotlight was shone on the country in early September, when a video of a camerawoman kicking a refugee went viral.



New border controls

On the other side of the spectrum is Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated that there was no "legal limit" to the number of refugees it would take in — but stressed that the people entering Germany who did not have the right to claim asylum would need to go back to their countries.

On Sunday night, Germany announced it was reinstating border controls with Austria to stem to flow of refugees entering the country. The next day Austria did the same, and other countries are set to copy it as the situation worsens by the day.

The measures go against the principle of the Schengen agreement, which guarantees free movement of people among the countries that are part of the zone.

The police seen as migrants attempted to leave the border crossing in Nickelsdorf, Austria, on Monday. Reuters The refugee crisis is becoming so dire that people are starting to speculate that it will cause Britain to leave the EU for good. Others say the crisis will lead to the end of the EU.

Nevertheless, the European leaders do not seem willing to take mind of the scope of the crisis. The United Nations warned last week that if the war in Syria continued, millions of refugees were expected to enter Europe in the coming years.