Mapping health worker deaths from COVID-19

Since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health workers who keep us safe have been losing their lives. Doctors, nurses, social care workers, cleaning staff, ambulance drivers, and administrators are among the brave individuals who have died after contracting the virus.

There is currently no systematic global tracking of how many health workers have died after contracting COVID-19. However, Amnesty International has collated and analysed a wide range of available data to monitor the number of deaths in 70+ countries. As of 5 March 2021, it shows that at least 17,000 health workers have died from COVID-19.

Country specific information, and sources, are available on the map below.

We strongly advise that this data is not used for direct comparisons between countries, due to different methods used to collect data, varying definitions of health workers, the availability of testing and other factors. A small number of governments collect comprehensive data, but most do not. These figures are therefore likely to be a significant underestimate, due to underreporting by many of the countries included in the analysis. The figures also do not indicate death rates as a proportion of the population.

For more information on methodology, please see the information at the bottom of the map, and Amnesty’s July 2020 report.

Amnesty International would like to recognize the incredible number of national health worker organisations who have done so much to keep detailed lists to honour the memories of their colleagues, and also thank regional organisations such as the European Public Services Union (EPSU) and affiliates who supported data collection, global organisations including PSI and UNICARE, Medscape and media projects tracking health worker deaths such as Lost on the Frontline by The Guardian and Kaiser Health News.