6.8 million deaths, 135 million job losses and more: Key figures that define the COVID-19 pandemic

Paris: Here are 10 key numbers in the COVID-19 pandemic.

6.8 million dead

Since early 2020, more than 6.8 million deaths from COVID-19 have been officially recorded, out of 752 million cases worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on 27 January.

The United Nations’ health agency, however, considers the figures to be greatly underestimated, saying the real toll could be two to three times higher.

13 billion jabs

Some 13.25 billion anti-COVID vaccine shots have been administered around the world, according to Our World in Data (OWID) on 30 January.

While 69.4 per cent of the world’s population has received at least one dose, only 26.4 per cent has in lower-income countries.

Six out of 10 in lockdown

At the height of the first wave of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, more than 4.5 billion people in 110 countries or territories were forced or called on to stay at home to fight the spread of the virus, according to an AFP count on 17 April, 2020.

That represents nearly 60 per cent of the world’s population.

Eight schoolchildren out of 10 at home

On 20 April, 2020, schools and universities were closed in 151 countries, affecting 1.29 billion youths, or 81.8 per cent of schoolchildren and students around the world, according to UNESCO.

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Hundreds of billions of masks

On public transport, in schools, in shops and even in the open air, masks have become the most symbolic accessory of the pandemic.

From March to end December 2020, China alone exported 224 billion masks around the world, according to Chinese customs figures.

3.1 per cent global GDP drop

By bringing activity to a halt in numerous economic sectors, the pandemic led to a 3.1 per cent fall in global gross domestic product in 2020, according to the World Bank. By comparison, GDP fell by 1.3 per cent in 2009 during the sub-prime crisis.

GDP then bounced back by 5.9 per cent at the world level in 2021.

135 million jobs lost

The pandemic had a heavy impact on employment, with 135 million jobs lost in 2020, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Although the situation has started to pick up, 56 million more people are out of work in 2022 than before the pandemic, and an estimated 37 million are expected to remain so in 2023.

60 per cent fewer air passengers

Air travel was hard hit by the pandemic with its lockdowns and border closures. In 2020, the number of passengers more than halved, down 60 per cent compared to 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The aviation industry has yet to fully recover.

In 2022, the number of passengers is expected to be 27 to 29 per cent lower than that of 2019.

5.2 per cent less carbon emissions

Carbon emissions dropped by a record 5.2 per cent in 2020, according to the Global Carbon Project (GCP) in November 2022.

That was not sufficient to stop global warming and its impacts in their tracks. The decrease was over a short period. Emissions are expected to hit record levels in 2022.

A quarter more depressions

Cases of anxiety and depression around the world increased by 25 per cent in the first year of the pandemic, according to the WHO in March 2022.

Blaming the unprecedented stress caused by social isolation during the pandemic, it said young people and women were the most badly affected.

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