About 15 million people died from COVID-19 or the effects of the pandemic between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, the World Health Organization said in a statement.
The organization estimates that the total number of deaths directly or indirectly related to the COVID-19 pandemic between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021 averaged 14.9 million.
This mortality is reported as excess. It is calculated as the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number that would be expected in the absence of a pandemic, based on previous years’ data.
Excessive mortality includes deaths directly or indirectly related to COVID-19 due to the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems and society. Most of the deaths (84%) are concentrated in Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. About 68% of excessive deaths are concentrated in just 10 countries. Middle-income countries account for 81% of the 14.9 million deaths, including 28% in middle-income countries. According to the RIA Novosti report, high and low income countries are responsible for 15% of deaths.
.
