Covid-19: how many people have died?

Synopsis

Covid-19 is identified as one of the most virulent and disruptive viruses to have ever swept the world. Official statistics report around 3 million deaths, but a statistical model from The Economist suggests the actual toll is between 7 and 13 million. Data journalist Andre Ulvin Solstad explains that the accuracy of the official death toll varies by country, with the U.S. being relatively accurate, showing about 7% higher excess deaths. In many developing countries, the discrepancy is much larger, leading to an undercount of deaths. The model focuses on excess deaths, which are the observed deaths compared to expected deaths in normal years. The challenge lies in estimating excess deaths where data is lacking, and the team has worked to provide ranges that reflect possible variations in the data.