Graphic detail | Covid-19 data

The pandemic’s true death toll

Our daily estimate of excess deaths around the world

How many people have died because of the covid-19 pandemic? The answer depends both on the data available, and on how you define “because”. Many people who die while infected with SARS-CoV-2 are never tested for it, and do not enter the official totals. Conversely, some people whose deaths have been attributed to covid-19 had other ailments that might have ended their lives on a similar timeframe anyway. And what about people who died of preventable causes during the pandemic, because hospitals full of covid-19 patients could not treat them? If such cases count, they must be offset by deaths that did not occur but would have in normal times, such as those caused by flu or air pollution.

Ten indicators explain what’s going on with America’s economy

A look at the impact of Trumponomics, as revealed by data

Which countries are most vulnerable to Donald Trump’s aid cuts?

In one country American aid is the equivalent of almost 350% of the government’s health spending


How do Ukrainian soldier fatalities compare with Russia’s?

Russia is losing more troops than its opponent. That makes it a strange time for America to force an unequal peace on Ukraine


The best places to be a working woman in 2025 

Our glass-ceiling index measures the role and influence of women in the workforce

Hard-right parties are now Europe’s most popular

But our number crunching shows that they have mostly been kept out of power

The global democracy index: how did countries perform in 2024?

See where 167 countries rank after the biggest election year in history