Covid-19 deaths: Which governments have failed? 6 September
The latest worldwide average death rate is 112 per one million people, up from 98 three weeks ago (over 1 death for every 10,000 people). Figures are from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control situation report to Saturday 6th September. Here’s the updated list of countries with death rates more than twice that average:
| Territory/Area | Country | Deaths per million |
| Europe | San Marino | 1238 |
| Americas | Peru | 896 |
| Europe | Belgium | 855 |
| Europe | Andorra | 686 |
| Europe | Spain | 629 |
| Europe | United Kingdom | 612 |
| Americas | Chile | 601 |
| Americas | Brazil | 591 |
| Europe | Italy | 587 |
| Europe | Sweden | 578 |
| Americas | United States | 567 |
| Americas | Mexico | 518 |
| Americas | Panama | 478 |
| Europe | France | 470 |
| Americas | Bolivia | 458 |
| Americas | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 443 |
| Americas | Colombia | 411 |
| Americas | Ecuador | 378 |
| Europe | Netherlands | 363 |
| Europe | Ireland | 360 |
| Europe | Jersey | 317 |
| Europe | Armenia | 301 |
| Europe | Macedonia | 291 |
| Europe | Isle of Man | 282 |
| Europe | Kosovo | 278 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Iran | 262 |
| Europe | Moldova | 260 |
| Africa | South Africa | 247 |
| Americas | Canada | 242 |
Death rates are the best measures of a national government’s effectiveness, because in many countries with poor pandemic management, the total number of cases is severely under-reported. From these results, it is clear that many nations which put business ahead of evidence-based health advice have higher death rates.
Some nations with lower death rates have also benefited from being able to learn from nations hit earlier, or due to low visitor numbers from China. Others had established pandemic testing expertise and/or social isolation cultures for influenza, and possibly better immune profiles yet to be understood.
Forbes recently published a list of the 100 safest countries based on multiple criteria. According to their report the top 10 safest countries, in descending order, are: Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, China, Austria, United Arab, Emirates, Singapore.
The second table below shows nations with death rates already above the worldwide average ranked by percentage increase in the last two weeks, to highlight those governments whose current pandemic management is not proving effective:
| Country | Deaths/M-2weeks | Deaths/M | Percent change |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 52 | 129 | 148 |
| Aruba | 56 | 122 | 118 |
| Bahamas | 69 | 127 | 84 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 96 | 153 | 59 |
| Argentina | 145 | 209 | 44 |
| Suriname | 95 | 128 | 35 |
| Montenegro | 131 | 169 | 29 |
| Colombia | 326 | 411 | 26 |
| Israel | 93 | 115 | 24 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 158 | 195 | 23 |
| Bolivia | 374 | 458 | 22 |
| Honduras | 165 | 200 | 21 |
| Puerto Rico | 131 | 159 | 21 |
| Kosovo | 232 | 278 | 20 |
| Romania | 166 | 198 | 19 |
| Dominican Republic | 141 | 166 | 18 |
| Iraq | 156 | 183 | 17 |
| Oman | 119 | 138 | 16 |
| El Salvador | 101 | 116 | 15 |
| South Africa | 217 | 247 | 14 |
| Moldova | 230 | 260 | 13 |
| Guatemala | 141 | 158 | 12 |
| Mexico | 462 | 518 | 12 |
| Saudi Arabia | 103 | 115 | 12 |
| Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 396 | 443 | 12 |
| Brazil | 533 | 591 | 11 |
| Panama | 431 | 478 | 11 |
| Bahrain | 105 | 114 | 9 |
| Macedonia | 267 | 291 | 9 |
| Russia | 111 | 121 | 9 |
| Iran | 243 | 262 | 8 |
| Peru | 826 | 896 | 8 |
| Chile | 561 | 601 | 7 |
| Ecuador | 354 | 378 | 7 |
| United States | 530 | 567 | 7 |
| Armenia | 284 | 301 | 6 |
| Kuwait | 120 | 126 | 5 |
| Portugal | 176 | 180 | 2 |
| Spain | 617 | 629 | 2 |
| Belgium | 850 | 855 | 1 |
| Canada | 240 | 242 | 1 |
| France | 467 | 470 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 361 | 363 | 1 |
| Switzerland | 199 | 200 | 1 |
| Italy | 586 | 587 | 0 |
| Sweden | 576 | 578 | 0 |
| United Kingdom | 610 | 612 | 0 |
The long term picture is still unclear. These results will be revised every third weekend, or you can view a chart and add your own selection of data and countries at this link: Ourworldindata.org
Under-reporting of rest-home deaths in the UK was revised, but many other nations will never report accurate totals. Citizens there will get an indication of trend from public statistics, but must judge the true scale of deaths from community and hospital experience. However, post-pandemic statistics on unexplained changes in national death rates will reveal the extent of under-counting in the next year or two.
Full table for all countries below:
| Territory/Area | Entity | Deaths per million |
| Europe | San Marino | 1238 |
| Americas | Peru | 896 |
| Europe | Belgium | 855 |
| Europe | Andorra | 686 |
| Europe | Spain | 629 |
| Europe | United Kingdom | 612 |
| Americas | Chile | 601 |
| Americas | Brazil | 591 |
| Europe | Italy | 587 |
| Europe | Sweden | 578 |
| Americas | United States | 567 |
| Americas | Mexico | 518 |
| Americas | Panama | 478 |
| Europe | France | 470 |
| Americas | Bolivia | 458 |
| Americas | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 443 |
| Americas | Colombia | 411 |
| Americas | Ecuador | 378 |
| Europe | Netherlands | 363 |
| Europe | Ireland | 360 |
| Europe | Jersey | 317 |
| Europe | Armenia | 301 |
| Europe | Macedonia | 291 |
| Europe | Isle of Man | 282 |
| Europe | Kosovo | 278 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Iran | 262 |
| Europe | Moldova | 260 |
| Africa | South Africa | 247 |
| Americas | Canada | 242 |
| Americas | Argentina | 209 |
| Europe | Switzerland | 200 |
| Americas | Honduras | 200 |
| Americas | Montserrat | 200 |
| Europe | Luxembourg | 198 |
| Europe | Romania | 198 |
| Europe | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 195 |
| Europe | Guernsey | 194 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Iraq | 183 |
| Europe | Portugal | 180 |
| Europe | Montenegro | 169 |
| Americas | Dominican Republic | 166 |
| Europe | Kyrgyzstan | 162 |
| Americas | Puerto Rico | 159 |
| Americas | Guatemala | 158 |
| Americas | United States Virgin Islands | 153 |
| Americas | Bermuda | 145 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Oman | 138 |
| Americas | Turks and Caicos Islands | 129 |
| Americas | Suriname | 128 |
| Americas | Bahamas | 127 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Kuwait | 126 |
| Americas | Aruba | 122 |
| Europe | Russia | 121 |
| Americas | El Salvador | 116 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Saudi Arabia | 115 |
| Europe | Israel | 115 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Bahrain | 114 |
| Europe | Germany | 111 |
| Europe | Denmark | 108 |
| Europe | Serbia | 106 |
| Europe | Albania | 106 |
| Europe | Kazakhstan | 101 |
| Europe | Bulgaria | 95 |
| Americas | Costa Rica | 92 |
| Western Pacific | Guam | 83 |
| Europe | Austria | 82 |
| Africa | Swaziland | 81 |
| Europe | Turkey | 78 |
| Europe | Belarus | 74 |
| Africa | Cape Verde | 74 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Qatar | 70 |
| Africa | Sao Tome and Principe | 68 |
| Europe | Hungary | 64 |
| Europe | Ukraine | 62 |
| Europe | Slovenia | 62 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Djibouti | 61 |
| Europe | Finland | 60 |
| Africa | Equatorial Guinea | 59 |
| Americas | Guyana | 56 |
| Americas | Paraguay | 56 |
| Europe | Poland | 55 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Egypt | 54 |
| South-East Asia | Maldives | 54 |
| Europe | Azerbaijan | 54 |
| South-East Asia | India | 50 |
| Europe | Norway | 49 |
| Europe | Estonia | 48 |
| Europe | Croatia | 48 |
| Africa | Gambia | 41 |
| Europe | Czech Republic | 40 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | United Arab Emirates | 39 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Libya | 38 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Palestine | 38 |
| Americas | Belize | 38 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Afghanistan | 36 |
| Africa | Algeria | 35 |
| Western Pacific | Northern Mariana Islands | 35 |
| Africa | Namibia | 34 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Morocco | 34 |
| Western Pacific | Philippines | 34 |
| Africa | Mauritania | 34 |
| Americas | British Virgin Islands | 33 |
| Europe | Lithuania | 32 |
| Americas | Antigua and Barbuda | 31 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Pakistan | 29 |
| South-East Asia | Indonesia | 29 |
| Western Pacific | Australia | 29 |
| Europe | Malta | 29 |
| Europe | Iceland | 29 |
| Europe | Greece | 27 |
| South-East Asia | Bangladesh | 27 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Lebanon | 27 |
| Europe | Liechtenstein | 26 |
| Europe | Monaco | 25 |
| Americas | Barbados | 24 |
| Europe | Cyprus | 24 |
| Africa | Gabon | 24 |
| Americas | Trinidad and Tobago | 22 |
| Americas | Nicaragua | 21 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Yemen | 19 |
| Africa | Guinea-Bissau | 19 |
| Americas | Haiti | 19 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Sudan | 19 |
| Europe | Latvia | 19 |
| Africa | Congo | 18 |
| Africa | Senegal | 17 |
| Africa | Zambia | 16 |
| Africa | Liberia | 16 |
| Africa | Cameroon | 16 |
| Americas | Cayman Islands | 15 |
| Africa | Lesotho | 14 |
| Americas | Venezuela | 14 |
| Africa | Zimbabwe | 14 |
| Africa | Central African Republic | 13 |
| Americas | Uruguay | 13 |
| Africa | Kenya | 11 |
| Western Pacific | Japan | 11 |
| Americas | Jamaica | 10 |
| Europe | Uzbekistan | 10 |
| South-East Asia | Nepal | 9 |
| Americas | Cuba | 9 |
| Africa | Malawi | 9 |
| Africa | Sierra Leone | 9 |
| Africa | Ghana | 9 |
| Africa | Comoros | 8 |
| Africa | Mauritius | 8 |
| Africa | Ethiopia | 8 |
| Europe | Tajikistan | 7 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Tunisia | 7 |
| Europe | Slovakia | 7 |
| Western Pacific | Brunei | 7 |
| Africa | Madagascar | 7 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Syria | 7 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Somalia | 6 |
| Africa | Mali | 6 |
| Western Pacific | South Korea | 6 |
| Americas | Curacao | 6 |
| Africa | Chad | 5 |
| Africa | Nigeria | 5 |
| Western Pacific | New Zealand | 5 |
| Africa | Guinea | 5 |
| Africa | Cote d’Ivoire | 5 |
| Europe | Georgia | 5 |
| Western Pacific | Singapore | 5 |
| Africa | South Sudan | 4 |
| Western Pacific | Malaysia | 4 |
| Africa | Togo | 4 |
| Africa | Benin | 3 |
| Africa | Burkina Faso | 3 |
| Africa | Niger | 3 |
| Africa | Botswana | 3 |
| Africa | Angola | 3 |
| Western Pacific | China | 3 |
| Africa | Democratic Republic of Congo | 3 |
| Western Pacific | Fiji | 2 |
| Africa | Western Sahara | 2 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Jordan | 2 |
| Africa | Rwanda | 1 |
| Africa | Mozambique | 1 |
| Western Pacific | Papua New Guinea | 1 |
| Africa | Uganda | 1 |
| South-East Asia | Thailand | 1 |
| South-East Asia | Sri Lanka | 1 |
| Americas | Anguilla | 0 |
| Americas | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0 |
| South-East Asia | Timor | 0 |
| Western Pacific | Vietnam | 0 |
| Africa | Seychelles | 0 |
| Americas | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 |
| Americas | Saint Lucia | 0 |
| Europe | Greenland | 0 |
| Africa | Eritrea | 0 |
| Europe | Faeroe Islands | 0 |
| Americas | Falkland Islands | 0 |
| Americas | Dominica | 0 |
| Western Pacific | Laos | 0 |
| Western Pacific | French Polynesia | 0 |
| Western Pacific | Taiwan | 0 |
| South-East Asia | Myanmar | 0 |
| Europe | Gibraltar | 0 |
| Western Pacific | New Caledonia | 0 |
| Western Pacific | Cambodia | 0 |
| Africa | Burundi | 0 |
| Americas | Grenada | 0 |
| Africa | Tanzania | 0 |
| Europe | Vatican | 0 |
| Americas | Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba | 0 |
| South-East Asia | Bhutan | 0 |
| Western Pacific | Mongolia | 0 |
Source: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) – Situation Report Worldwide.