Coronavirus pandemic: Tracking the global outbreak

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Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than 11 million confirmed cases in 188 countries. At least half a million people have lost their lives so far.

This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus.

Where are coronavirus cases and deaths still rising?

The virus, which causes the respiratory infection Covid-19, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

It then spread quickly across the globe in the first months of 2020, reaching 10 million confirmed cases towards the end of June.

Europe and North America saw the first major outbreaks in April but as they began to ease, Latin America and Asia started seeing an increase in cases.

North America has seen a resurgence of infections in recent weeks mostly driven by new outbreaks in the US, but Mexico has also seen an increasing numbers of cases.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the fight against the virus is "not even close to being over," adding: "Although many countries have made some progress globally, the pandemic is actually speeding up."

The WHO says the pandemic has not yet reached its peak in Central and South America, where Brazil has been the worst-hit so far. It is only the second country in the world, after the US, to have confirmed more than one million cases and its death toll stands at more than 60,000.

The surge in cases in Asia is largely down to widespread outbreaks in India and Pakistan. The healthcare systems in both countries are under increasing strain.

Are any countries seeing a 'second wave' of cases?

Previous pandemics have unfolded in "waves" of infections, with fresh outbreaks recurring after the initial peak subsides. Health experts think Covid-19 may follow a similar pattern - but there is no firm agreement on what exactly constitutes a second wave.

Although a number of countries have seen a rise in infections after appearing to have the virus under control, they may still be in the first stages of the outbreak. And rising cases may sometimes be down to increased testing.

Fears of a second wave have grown in Iran, where the number of daily deaths has risen again. Israel has also seen a surge in cases since easing restrictions at the end of May.

Cases in Portugal have been slowly increasing again after the country successfully reduced infections throughout April and May.

US seeing a second surge of cases

The US has seen record numbers of new cases in recent days and the top US health official for infectious diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci, has said it's clear the country is "not in control right now".

The surge is being driven by fresh outbreaks in the south and west of the country, with Dr Fauci saying about half of all new cases come from four states: Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

Those states and about a dozen others have paused or rolled back their reopening plans.

The White House has said the rise in cases is a product of an uptick in US testing capacity. But Dr Fauci has warned that higher percentages of positive tests "cannot be explained by increased testing".

So far, the US has recorded nearly three million cases of the virus and about 130,000 deaths.

The University of Washington predicts the death toll could hit 175,000 by October - though it says this could be reduced to 150,000 if 95% of Americans wear masks in public.

How many cases and deaths have there been?

There have been about 11 million confirmed cases so far and more than half a million people have died.

Note: The map, table and animated bar chart in this page use a different source for figures for France from that used by Johns Hopkins University, which results in a slightly lower overall total. US figures do not include Puerto Rico, Guam or the US Virgin Islands.

The US accounts for about 25% of the global total of cases, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University. It also has the world's highest death toll, followed by Brazil and the UK.

In China, the official death toll is some 4,600 from about 85,000 confirmed cases, although critics have questioned whether the country's official numbers can be trusted.

South Africa and Egypt have seen the largest outbreaks so far in Africa. But testing rates are reported to be extremely low in some parts of the continent so this could be distorting understanding of how far the virus has spread.

Globally, the true number of cases is thought to be much higher than the reported figures, as many people with milder symptoms have not been tested and counted.

In the table below, countries can be reordered by deaths, death rate and total cases. In the coloured bars on the right-hand side, countries in which cases have risen to more than 5,000 per day are those with black bars on the relevant date.

The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the WHO on 11 March. A pandemic is when an infectious disease is passing easily from person to person in many parts of the world at the same time.

Globally, at least 4.5 billion people - half the world's population - were living under social distancing measures at the height of the pandemic in Europe, according to the AFP news agency's estimates.

Those restrictions have had a big impact on the global economy, with the International Monetary Fund warning the world faces the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The United Nations World Food Programme has also warned that the pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger.

Europe easing lockdown restrictions

In Europe, the UK, Italy, Spain and France, along with others, have passed the peak of infections, with the number of new confirmed cases and deaths falling.

But as many countries ease restrictions, there are fears that the region could see a second surge in infections.

The risk of a "second wave" of infections requiring the reintroduction of lockdowns is moderate to high, according to the EU agency that monitors infectious diseases.

The UK has reported more than 44,000 deaths so far, the highest number in Europe.

Italy has the second highest death toll in the region with nearly 35,000, while France is about 30,000 and Spain is just behind on 28,000.

However, differences in population size and how countries report their figures, with some including deaths in care homes, or deaths of those suspected but not confirmed of having the virus, means that final international comparisons are complicated.

About this data

The data used on this page comes from a variety of sources. It includes figures collated by Johns Hopkins University, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, national governments and health agencies, as well as UN data on populations.

When comparing figures from different countries it is important to bear in mind that not all governments are recording coronavirus cases and deaths in the same way. This makes like for like comparisons between countries difficult.

Other factors to consider include: different population sizes, the size of a country's elderly population or whether a particular country has a large amount of its people living in densely-populated areas. In addition, countries may be in different stages of the pandemic.