Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

The Graphic Truth: COVID's "real" death toll

The Graphic Truth: COVID's "real" death toll
Ari Winkleman

COVID has officially killed almost 3.5 million people around the world since the beginning of the pandemic. But some public health experts believe that the real number could be more than twice as high, because of challenges to accurately reporting the death toll in many countries around the world. A new study from the University of Washington contends, for example, that actual deaths are nearly 60 percent higher than reported in the US, almost triple as high in India, more than five time as high in Russia... and a staggering ten times higher than the official tally in Japan. Here's a look at how official figures compare to actual estimated deaths in the 20 countries where COVID has claimed the most lives.

More For You

​Wreckage at the site where a train was derailed when a construction crane fell onto its carriages in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, on January 14, 2026.

Wreckage at the site where a train was derailed when a construction crane collapsed and fell onto its carriages, causing several casualties, in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, on January 14, 2026.

REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa
32: A construction crane fell onto a moving train in northeast Thailand on Wednesday morning, killing at least 32 people and injuring another 66. The train was mostly carrying students and workers. The incident occurred after the crane accidentally dropped a concrete wedge onto the train, causing it to derail. [...]
​A shop owner David Rogilds holds a shirt that he sells in Nuuk, Greenland, January 14, 2026.

A shop owner David Rogilds holds a shirt that he sells in Nuuk, Greenland, January 14, 2026.

REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Greenland officials come to Washington, after PM rejects joining USRock, meet hard place: officials from Denmark and Greenland are meeting with members of the Trump administration to discuss the future of the semi-autonomous island. The various players have discussed the matter before, but this is the first time since US President Donald Trump [...]
​Supporters of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, leader of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, attend his final rally ahead of the general election in Kampala, Uganda, January 13, 2026.

Supporters of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, leader of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, attend his final rally ahead of the general election in Kampala, Uganda, January 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa
Ugandans go to the polls tomorrow in an election where President Yoweri Museveni is widely expected to be reelected, as authorities crack down on political dissent. On Saturday, soldiers fanned out across the capital of Kampala, to counter unspecified “threats of violence.” On Tuesday, authorities shut down the internet, citing misinformation, [...]
​People hold flafs and light up their phones outside the U.S. consulate during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in Milan, Italy, January 13, 2026.

People hold flafs and light up their phones outside the U.S. consulate during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in Milan, Italy, January 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Will Trump end the China truce over Iran?US President Donald Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on countries that do business with Iran, escalating pressure on the Islamic Republic as protests rage across the country. The White House is still considering talks with Tehran, although Trump is leaning toward authorizing military strikes, the [...]