(Please click on map for high-resolution version.)

The map above shows the number of applications for asylum lodged in selected European countries. The data cover from January – August 2014 and were published by the UNHCR, the refugee agency of the UN.

Operation World identifies Europe and the immigrants arriving there as a hotspot to watch and pray for. “Immigration into Europe is an unstoppable tide of humanity from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe. The plunging birthrates in EU countries and the affluence, stability and generous social services in Europe are factors that pull in immigrants, many of whom are coming from countries where conflict rages,” (p12).