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.

The number of deaths in Sweden in 2020 amounted to over 98,000. A high share of the deaths in 2020 were related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, in 2021, the number sank below 92,000, before increasing to over 94,000 in 2022 and 2023. The highest number of coronavirus deaths were among individuals age 70 and older. Sweden is the Nordic country that has reported the highest number of COVID-19-related deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The most common causes of death

The most common cause of death in 2022 was diseases of the circulatory system (cardiovascular diseases). This cause was followed by cancerous tumors.

 Ischemic heart disease

Among the diseases in the circulatory system, the one that caused the most deaths was chronic ischemic heart disease. Chronic ischemic heart disease is when the blood flow to the heart is reduced because the arteries of the heart are blocked. In 2020, ischemic heart disease caused more than 50,000 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Total Covid deaths per million in Sweden, March, 2023 The most recent value is 2262 total Covid deaths as of March 2023, an increase compared to the previous value of 2251 total Covid deaths. Historically, the average for Sweden from March 2020 to March 2023 is 1356 total Covid deaths. The minimum of 23 total Covid deaths was recorded in March 2020, while the maximum of 2262 total Covid deaths was reached in March 2023. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

The crude death rate in Sweden was down at the lowest point in 2019, when 8.6 deaths occurred per thousand mid-year population. In 2020, however, the crude death rate increased and amounted to 9.5 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. Over 98,000 individuals died during 2020 in Sweden. In 2020, the crude death rate in Sweden was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the crude death rate in the country was at nine.

Trends in Covid total deaths per million. The latest data for over 100 countries around the world.

As of January 13, 2023, Bulgaria had the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths among its population in Europe at 548.6 deaths per 100,000 population. Hungary had recorded 496.4 deaths from COVID-19 per 100,000. Furthermore, Russia had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Europe, at over 394 thousand.

Number of cases in Europe During the same period, across the whole of Europe, there have been over 270 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. France has been Europe's worst affected country with around 38.3 million cases, this translates to an incidence rate of approximately 58,945 cases per 100,000 population. Germany and Italy had approximately 37.6 million and 25.3 million cases respectively.

Current situation In March 2023, the rate of cases in Austria over the last seven days was 224 per 100,000 which was the highest in Europe. Luxembourg and Slovenia both followed with seven day rates of infections at 122 and 108 respectively.

Actual value and historical data chart for Sweden Death Rate Crude Per 1 000 People

Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) in Sweden was reported at 2.5 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sweden - Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Sweden SE: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 9.200 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.300 Ratio for 2015. Sweden SE: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 10.500 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.500 Ratio in 1988 and a record low of 9.200 Ratio in 2016. Sweden SE: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

As of January 11, 2023, the highest number of deaths due to the coronavirus in Sweden was among individuals aged 80 to 90 years old. In this age group there were 9,124 deaths as a result of the virus. The overall Swedish death toll was 22,645 as of January 11, 2023.

The first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Sweden was confirmed on February 4, 2020. The number of cases has since risen to over 2.68 million, as of January 2023. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

The highest number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the Nordic countries as of October 27, 2024, had occurred in Sweden at 28,006. Finland followed with 11,466 deaths, Denmark with 9,919, and Norway with 5,732. Denmark was the Nordic country with the highest number of people confirmed infected with COVID-19, reaching a total of 3,442,484 cases as of October 27, 2024. More statistics and facts about the virus are available here.

Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.800 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.900 Ratio for 2016. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 7.250 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.600 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 2.800 Ratio in 2017. Sweden SE: 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 Sweden – Table SE.World Bank: 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.

Historical dataset showing Sweden death rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Actual value and historical data chart for Sweden Tuberculosis Death Rate Per 100000 People

Sweden SE: Mortality Rate Attributed to Household and Ambient Air Pollution: per 100,000 Population data was reported at 7.200 Ratio in 2016. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate Attributed to Household and Ambient Air Pollution: per 100,000 Population data is updated yearly, averaging 7.200 Ratio from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate Attributed to Household and Ambient Air Pollution: per 100,000 Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank: Health Statistics. Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution is the number of deaths attributable to the joint effects of household and ambient air pollution in a year per 100,000 population. The rates are age-standardized. Following diseases are taken into account: acute respiratory infections (estimated for all ages); cerebrovascular diseases in adults (estimated above 25 years); ischaemic heart diseases in adults (estimated above 25 years); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults (estimated above 25 years); and lung cancer in adults (estimated above 25 years).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

This horizontal bar chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) by country using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Sweden. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.600 Ratio in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.600 Ratio for 2015. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 2.800 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.200 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 2.600 Ratio in 2017. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female 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.

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against expense (% of GDP) in Sweden. The data is about countries per year.

In 2023, the number of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in Sweden was ****. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by ***, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Actual value and historical data chart for Sweden Mortality Rate Infant Per 1 000 Live Births