Excess Deaths from COVID Nearly 15 Million – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID pandemic (described as “excess mortality”) was approximately 14.9 million, with a range of 13.3 million to 16.6 million.  

“These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes.”

Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number that would be expected in the absence of the pandemic based on data from earlier years. 

Excess mortality includes deaths directly associated with COVID (due to the disease) or indirectly (due to the pandemic’s impact on health systems and society). Deaths linked indirectly to COVID are attributable to other health conditions for which people were unable to access prevention and treatment because health systems were overburdened by the pandemic. Excess death numbers can be influenced also by deaths averted during the pandemic due to lower risks of certain events, such as car accidents or occupational injuries. 

The estimate for a 24-month period (2020 and 2021) finds that the excess deaths (84%) are largely concentrated in South-East Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Some 68% of excess deaths are concentrated in just 10 countries globally. Middle-income countries account for 81% of the 14.9 million excess deaths (53% in lower-middle-income countries and 28% in upper-middle-income countries) over the 24-month period, with high-income and low-income countries each accounting for 15% and 4%, respectively. 

The estimates confirm that the global death toll was higher for men than for women (57% male, 43% female) and higher among older adults. A better picture of COVID mortality data comes from excess deaths per 100 000 instead of mortality counts, which can seem skewed due to population size.

“Measurement of excess mortality is an essential component to understand the impact of the pandemic. Shifts in mortality trends provide decision-makers information to guide policies to reduce mortality and effectively prevent future crises. Because of limited investments in data systems in many countries, the true extent of excess mortality often remains hidden,” said Dr Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery at WHO. “These new estimates use the best available data and have been produced using a robust methodology and a completely transparent approach.”

The production of these estimates is a result of a global collaboration supported by the work of the Technical Advisory Group for COVID-19 Mortality Assessment and country consultations. 

Source: World Health Organization