A year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. The microscopic coronavirus has changed, in one way or another, the lives of all 7.8 billion people on Earth.
While the long-term impact of this global health crisis may take years to understand, its immediate effect has already changed the world as we know it. In the following infographics, we detail the latest data and reports to help you understand the global repercussions of the pandemic.
For each topic, we examine the most complete and reliable data sets available globally. Numbers are often presented as country averages, so it is important to remember that averages can mask inequalities, especially when dealing with underreported areas or populations at risk.
Main causes of death
At least 2.7 million people worldwide have died from COVID-19. Although the leading global causes of death for 2020 have not yet been published, compared to 2019, COVID is among the top five causes of death.
In 2019, 55.4 million people died worldwide. Heart disease killed most people (8.9 million), followed by strokes (6.2 million) and lung disease (3.2 million). Collectively, they are known as noncommunicable diseases, which means that they are not transmitted between people. In contrast, the highly contagious coronavirus is a communicable disease.
The graph below shows how a year of coronavirus deaths compares to the leading causes of death in 2019.
In the US, the country with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that coronavirus killed more Americans in one year (540,000) than flu in the last 10 years combined (368,000) .
Mental health
The WHO estimates that almost a billion people worldwide are living with a mental disorder. In 2019, 703,000 people committed suicide, making suicide the 17th most common cause of death. Despite this, countries spend only about 2% of their national health budgets on mental health.
The UN warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cause a long-term increase in the number and severity of mental health problems. Evidence on the consequences of social blocking and distance for mental health is still being studied. Although we do not have large-scale data on the effect of COVID-19 on mental health worldwide, several smaller studies (PDF) indicate higher rates of anxiety and depression.
Below are five tips from Dr. Devora Kestel, director of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, on protecting our mental health.
Locks worldwide
By definition, a pandemic is the worldwide spread of a disease. It is estimated that more than two thirds of the world population has tried blocking measures, which last from weeks to months.
According to data compiled by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, more than 100 countries and territories in 2021 have reintroduced requests to stay at home with a few exceptions, such as for essential travel, daily exercise or food shopping.
The chart below summarizes the duration of national blockades over 12 months (January 16, 2020 – January 15, 2021).
Trillions eliminated
According to World Bank estimates, the global economy shrank 4.3% in 2020, eliminating trillions of dollars. Countries that were already experiencing economic difficulties plunged into debt even more. A report by Oxfam International estimates that it may take more than a decade for the world’s poorest people to recover from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the positive side, the World Bank expects the global economy to expand 4 percent in 2021 with vaccine launches and investments leading the recovery.
The graph below shows the effect of COVID-19 on the global economy. All major economies except China have shrunk over the course of 2020. Other countries that have seen their gross domestic product (GDP) grow include Bangladesh (2%), Benin (2%), Burundi (0.3%), Egypt (3 , 6%), Ethiopia (6.1%), Ghana (1.1%), Guinea (5.2%), Guyana (23.2%), Ivory Coast (1.8%), Myanmar (1 , 7%), Nepal (0.2%), Niger (1%), South Sudan (9.3%), Tajikistan (2.2%), Tanzania (2.5%), Turkey (0.5% ), Uzbekistan (0.6%) and Vietnam (2.8%).
This in no way suggests that these countries were better off after the coronavirus. Instead, several of these countries are projected to achieve even greater growth before the pandemic, with several others relying on loans to support their economies.
Global poverty and unemployment
Coronavirus affected the poor disproportionately. For the first time in 20 years, global poverty is likely to increase significantly. The World Bank estimates that the coronavirus has pushed 119 million to 124 million more people into extreme poverty. This brings the total number of people living on less than US $ 1.90 a day to 730 million, which represents about 10% of the world population.
In 2020, 114 million people lost their jobs, according to the latest unemployment data from the International Labor Organization (ILO). But looking at official unemployment figures alone is not enough to measure unemployment. As the ILO points out, many more workers have fallen into “economic downtime”. This means that they had to withdraw from the workforce. Many more may still be employed, but operating with reduced working hours or wage cuts.
Younger women and workers are among the hardest hit, raising concerns about increasing gender inequality and a lost generation of workers.
In addition, the United Nations Development Program has warned that almost half of all jobs in Africa can be eliminated due to the pandemic.
The rich got richer
A report (PDF) released by Oxfam International, a UK-based charity, said the pandemic has affected people living in poverty far more than the wealthy. Those most affected are women, blacks, Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples and historically marginalized and oppressed communities around the world, the report said.
To put this income inequality in perspective, a Swiss Bank UBS report found that the world’s richest people saw their wealth increase by $ 3.9 trillion between March and December 2020. The richest 10 billionaires increased their wealth by US $ 540 billion during that period.
Many of the world’s richest men, including Elon Musk (USA), Zhong Shanshan (China) and Mukesh Ambani (India), have seen their wealth more than double since the pandemic was declared.
1.7 billion students out of school
In 2020, the closure of schools and universities disrupted the education of more than 1.7 billion students from 188 countries, or about 99% of the world’s student population, according to UNESCO.
Today, nearly 900 million students, more than half of the world’s student population, continue to face serious disruptions in education, ranging from school closures in 29 countries to reduced or part-time classes in 68 others, according to the latest. UNESCO data.
Although online education allowed classes to continue virtually, the UN estimates that nearly 500 million children, especially in poorer countries or rural areas, were excluded from remote learning due to a lack of technology or policies.
Oxfam estimates that the pandemic will reverse the past 20 years of global progress in girls’ education, further increasing poverty and inequality.
Worst year for air travel
In 2019, more than 4.5 billion passengers made 38 million flights worldwide. With blockages and quarantines for most of 2020, many canceled or postponed travel plans.
Demand for international passengers in 2020 fell by 75.6 percent compared to 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The global flight tracking service Flightradar24 also saw a 42 percent drop in commercial flights as of 2019. Many airlines have been forced to operate cargo-only flights to keep supermarket shelves stocked and online orders fulfilled.
Space blocks
On the left are the images taken before the blockade, in contrast to the images of the blockade taken in March 2020 to show the effect of the pandemic on cities around the world. Unprecedented roadblocks have emptied streets, interrupted travel and slowed economic activity – temporarily reducing air pollution.
Below, we see how Mecca, Wuhan and Venice saw a sharp decline in visitor numbers after a few weeks of the pandemic. See satellite images of more cities here.
Pollution levels
In the first few weeks of COVID blockades, there were reports of clearer and less polluted skies. For example, residents of Venice, Italy, reported clear running water in their normally busy canals for the first time in years.
However, this seems to have been short-lived. A recent report by the International Energy Agency found that while global energy-related CO2 emissions fell 5.8% in 2020 – the biggest annual percentage decline since World War II – the latest data shows that global CO2 pollution has returned pre-COVID levels.
Professor Ralph Keeling, head of the Scripps CO2 program, explained the situation in May 2020: “People may be surprised to learn that the response to the coronavirus outbreak no longer influenced CO2 levels. The accumulation of CO2 is a bit like garbage in a landfill. As we continue to issue, it continues to accumulate. “
