In 2024, approximately **** million deaths occurred in Brazil. With around ******* deaths that year, diseases of the circulatory system, which include heart and cerebrovascular diseases among other ailments, were the leading cause of death in the South American country. Neoplasms or tumors followed, with over ******* reported deaths. High prevalence of hypertension Circulatory system diseases generally refer to conditions that affect the normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Risk factors for developing heart problems such as heart attacks or failures include high blood pressure and smoking. In the last few years, an increasing share of Brazilians have been diagnosed with hypertension, reaching over one quarter of the adult population by 2023, while the share of adults claiming to be smokers has been decreasing in recent years, a habit that has been more common among men than women. Cancer as a major health concern for Brazilians Cancer is an illness characterized by the abnormal growth of body cells, which can then spread to other parts of the body and form tumors. A recent study conducted in 2024 found that over ********* of Brazilian adults considered cancer a top health concern people were facing in their country, ranking second after mental health. Moreover, the estimated number of deaths attributed to cancer reached almost ******* cases in Brazil in 2022, with lung and breast cancer accounting for most of these casualties.

BR: Number of Death: Under-5 data was reported at 38,010.000 Person in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 38,977.000 Person for 2022. BR: Number of Death: Under-5 data is updated yearly, averaging 213,789.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 516,151.000 Person in 1960 and a record low of 38,010.000 Person in 2023. BR: Number of Death: Under-5 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Number of children dying before reaching age five.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Sum;Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

BR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 14.400 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.600 Ratio for 2022. BR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 58.700 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 169.400 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 14.400 Ratio in 2023. BR: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Weighted average;Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys. Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.2.1[https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

BR: Mortality Rate: Adult: Female: per 1000 Female Adults data was reported at 85.735 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 95.437 Ratio for 2022. BR: Mortality Rate: Adult: Female: per 1000 Female Adults data is updated yearly, averaging 147.254 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 276.882 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 82.860 Ratio in 2019. BR: Mortality Rate: Adult: Female: per 1000 Female Adults data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Adult mortality rate, female, is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60--that is, the probability of a 15-year-old female dying before reaching age 60, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year between those ages.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision. (2) HMD. Human Mortality Database. Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Germany), University of California, Berkeley (USA), and French Institute for Demographic Studies (France). Available at www.mortality.org.;Weighted average;

UNICEF's country profile for Brazil, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

The global landscape of mortality has undergone significant changes from 1990 to 2021, but cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide. In 2021, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 28.6 percent of all deaths, followed by cancers at 14.6 percent. Notably, COVID-19 emerged as the third leading cause of death in 2021, responsible for 11.6 percent of global fatalities. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The emergence of COVID-19 as a major cause of death underscores the profound impact of the pandemic on global health. By May 2023, the virus had infected over 687 million people worldwide and claimed nearly 6.87 million lives. The United States, India, and Brazil were among the most severely affected countries. The pandemic's effects extended beyond direct mortality, influencing healthcare systems and potentially exacerbating other health conditions. Shifts in global health priorities While infectious diseases like COVID-19 have gained prominence, long-term health trends reveal significant progress in certain areas. The proportion of neonatal deaths decreased from 6.4 percent in 1990 to 2.7 percent in 2021, reflecting improvements in maternal and child health care. However, challenges persist in addressing malnutrition and hunger, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The Global Hunger Index 2024 identified Somalia, Yemen, and Chad as the countries most affected by hunger and malnutrition, highlighting the ongoing need for targeted interventions in these regions.

BR: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 42.686 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 42.881 Ratio for 2022. BR: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 81.277 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91.302 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 42.686 Ratio in 2023. BR: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.;United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.7.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Peru is the country with the highest mortality rate due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Latin America. As of November 13, 2023, the country registered over 672 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. It was followed by Brazil, with around 331.5 fatal cases per 100,000 population. In total, over 1.76 million people have died due to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Are these figures accurate? Although countries like Brazil already rank among the countries most affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there is still room to believe that the number of cases and deaths in Latin American countries are underreported. The main reason is the relatively low number of tests performed in the region. For example, Brazil, one of the most impacted countries in the world, has performed approximately 63.7 million tests as of December 22, 2022. This compared with over one billion tests performed in the United States, approximately 909 million tests completed in India, or around 522 million tests carried out in the United Kingdom.

Capacity to deal with the outbreak With the spread of the Omicron variant, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting health systems around the world under serious pressure. The lack of equipment to treat acute cases, for instance, is one of the problems affecting Latin American countries. In 2019, the number of ventilators in hospitals in the most affected countries ranged from 25.23 per 100,000 inhabitants in Brazil to 5.12 per 100,000 people in Peru.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

In 2021, there were more than 250 thousand deaths attributable to air pollution in Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil was the country with the largest number of deaths, at approximately 68 thousand. Mexico followed, with slightly over 50 thousand deaths. An invisible killer among Brazilians In Brazil, fine-particle outdoor pollution (PM2.5) – meaning particles with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers – typically accounts for more than 70 percent of air pollution-related deaths due to air pollution. In its fine form, particulate matter has been credited as a leading cause of respiratory-related diseases, the third most prominent cause of death among Brazilians. Coal and waste burning, industrial activities, and heavy vehicular traffic are some of the main causes of ambient air pollution. The burden of fuel burning Although Brazil and Mexico have the highest death tolls due to air pollution in Latin America – a result not entirely unexpected give they have the largest populations in the region – they do not necessarily have the region's highest urban pollution levels. Instead, Chile had some of the most polluted cities in Latin America in 2023. These high levels have been mostly ascribed to a cultural tradition of wood-fired cooking. A similar situation can be found in Haiti. In 2023, the Caribbean country – which ranked fourth in deaths due to air pollution in Latin America, despite not even making it to the top ten in terms of population – has by far the largest share of population exposed to household air pollution from solid fuels in the region.

In 2024, there were approximately 13.2 million hospital admissions in Brazil. The highest number of hospitalizations was due to pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium, amounting to over two million. Meanwhile, there were more than 1.4 million hospital admissions related to injuries, poisonings and other consequences of external causes. The year prior, circulatory system diseases were the leading cause of death in the country.

In 2024, there were a total of 2,532 shootings registered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. March was the month with the most shootings in each of the given years, except for 2024 - in that year, there were 254 occurrences, or about 10 percent of the year's total. The lowest number of shootings in the given period occurred in August 2023 when 153 cases were recorded. Police violence in Rio In 2022, the Supreme Court ordered the state government of Rio de Janeiro to come up with a plan to reduce police lethality, as the level of violence in police actions was deemed unacceptable, due to high numbers of casualties and human rights violations. The number of civilians killed as a result of police intervention more than quadrupled between 2013 and 2019, reaching a record number of 1,814 that year. Despite the decrease in comparison to 2019, every year from 2020 to 2022 saw more than 1,200 civilians being killed. Furthermore, it is deemed that there is structural racism in the actions of security forces. For instance, 80 percent of the deaths caused by police interventions in the state during 2023 were of people of color. Shootings and massacres in Rio Civil society and public institutions have made proposals to alleviate this situation. One of them is the ADPF 635 (Allegation of Violation of a Fundamental Precept), also known as ADPF Favelas Case, presented by the Brazilian Socialist Party, and whose preliminary approval took place in June 2020. The measure restricted unplanned police operations in the favelas during the pandemic. Despite its frequent violations, it showed evident results. Shootings fell from 7,368 in 2019 to less than 3,000 in 2024. Over one third of documented shootings in 2024 were due to police operations, while 288 were motivated by murder or attempted murder, the second most common reason. In March 2022, the government of Rio de Janeiro published a plan to reduce deaths during police operations. That year, the State of Rio de Janeiro recorded 92 fewer deaths than the previous year, and the number has fallen every year since.

Based on a comparison of coronavirus deaths in 210 countries relative to their population, Peru had the most losses to COVID-19 up until July 13, 2022. As of the same date, the virus had infected over 557.8 million people worldwide, and the number of deaths had totaled more than 6.3 million. Note, however, that COVID-19 test rates can vary per country. Additionally, big differences show up between countries when combining the number of deaths against confirmed COVID-19 cases. The source seemingly does not differentiate between "the Wuhan strain" (2019-nCOV) of COVID-19, "the Kent mutation" (B.1.1.7) that appeared in the UK in late 2020, the 2021 Delta variant (B.1.617.2) from India or the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) from South Africa.

The difficulties of death figures

This table aims to provide a complete picture on the topic, but it very much relies on data that has become more difficult to compare. As the coronavirus pandemic developed across the world, countries already used different methods to count fatalities, and they sometimes changed them during the course of the pandemic. On April 16, for example, the Chinese city of Wuhan added a 50 percent increase in their death figures to account for community deaths. These deaths occurred outside of hospitals and went unaccounted for so far. The state of New York did something similar two days before, revising their figures with 3,700 new deaths as they started to include “assumed” coronavirus victims. The United Kingdom started counting deaths in care homes and private households on April 29, adjusting their number with about 5,000 new deaths (which were corrected lowered again by the same amount on August 18). This makes an already difficult comparison even more difficult. Belgium, for example, counts suspected coronavirus deaths in their figures, whereas other countries have not done that (yet). This means two things. First, it could have a big impact on both current as well as future figures. On April 16 already, UK health experts stated that if their numbers were corrected for community deaths like in Wuhan, the UK number would change from 205 to “above 300”. This is exactly what happened two weeks later. Second, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which countries already have “revised” numbers (like Belgium, Wuhan or New York) and which ones do not. One work-around could be to look at (freely accessible) timelines that track the reported daily increase of deaths in certain countries. Several of these are available on our platform, such as for Belgium, Italy and Sweden. A sudden large increase might be an indicator that the domestic sources changed their methodology.

Where are these numbers coming from?

The numbers shown here were collected by Johns Hopkins University, a source that manually checks the data with domestic health authorities. For the majority of countries, this is from national authorities. In some cases, like China, the United States, Canada or Australia, city reports or other various state authorities were consulted. In this statistic, these separately reported numbers were put together. For more information or other freely accessible content, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

As of May 2, 2023, the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had been confirmed in almost every country in the world. The virus had infected over 687 million people worldwide, and the number of deaths had reached almost 6.87 million. The most severely affected countries include the U.S., India, and Brazil.

COVID-19: background information COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that had not previously been identified in humans. The first case was detected in the Hubei province of China at the end of December 2019. The virus is highly transmissible and coughing and sneezing are the most common forms of transmission, which is similar to the outbreak of the SARS coronavirus that began in 2002 and was thought to have spread via cough and sneeze droplets expelled into the air by infected persons.

Naming the coronavirus disease Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can be transmitted between animals and people, causing illnesses that may range from the common cold to more severe respiratory syndromes. In February 2020, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses and the World Health Organization announced official names for both the virus and the disease it causes: SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, respectively. The name of the disease is derived from the words corona, virus, and disease, while the number 19 represents the year that it emerged.