Refugee crisis: Germany has received over 1 million migrants in 2015

More than one million refugees and migrants have entered Germany over the course of 2015, according to official figures. Bavarian social minister Emilia Müller of the Christian Social Union told reporters on Wednesday, 9 December, that government computer systems have now registered more than one million refugees and migrants, three weeks before the end of the year.

In October, leaked official figures suggested that 1.5 million migrants would enter the country before the end of the year, significantly more than the 800,000 projected in government estimates.

There is dispute over the accuracy of the figures, with some believing the actual figure could be higher with local authorities taking several weeks to register new arrivals. Others believe it could be lower as new entrants to Germany register with several different local authorities.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, named Time's Person of the Year for her response to the crisis, has seen her popularity dip as German's ask how the country will accommodate the refugees who have entered the country.

German opposition parties have called for a cap on the number of migrants that will be allowed into the country. Müller told Germany's DPA press agency: "We need an upper limit, because Germany can't continue to shoulder these arrivals in the long term."