WHO estimates that the true global pandemic mortality toll is approaching 15 million people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Covid epidemic has killed over 15 million people worldwide.

Over the course of two years, this equates to 13% more deaths than would be predicted.

The WHO estimates that several nations undercounted Covid deaths, with only 5.4 million recorded.

According to the report, India has 4.7 million Covid deaths, which is ten times the official amount and accounts for nearly a third of all Covid deaths worldwide.

The Indian government has expressed reservations about the number, citing "concerns" about the methodology, while other research have reached similar conclusions regarding the country's death toll.

The measure used by the WHO is called excess deaths - how many more people died than would normally be expected based on mortality in the same area before the pandemic hit.

These figures also account for deaths that were not directly caused by Covid but rather resulted from its side effects, such as individuals being unable to access hospitals for essential care. It also explains some regions' poor record-keeping and limited testing at the start of the crisis.

However, the WHO stated that the majority of the additional 9.5 million deaths over the 5.4 million Covid deaths were considered to be direct, rather than indirect, deaths caused by the virus

Speaking about the scale of the figures, Dr Samira Asma, from the WHO's data department, said "It's a tragedy.

"It's a stunning amount, and it's critical that we remember those who have died and hold policymakers accountable," she added.

"If we don't count the dead, we'll miss out on the chance to be better prepared next time."

According to WHO data, nations with the largest overall excess deaths included Russia, Indonesia, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Russia's death toll is three-and-a-half times the country's official death toll.

The research also examines the rates of excess deaths in relation to the population size of each country. During the years 2020 and 2021, the UK's excess mortality rate, like that of the United States, Spain, and Germany, was higher than the worldwide average.

Countries with low excess mortality rates included China, which is still pursuing a policy of "zero Covid" involving mass testing and quarantines, Australia, which imposed strict travel restrictions to keep the virus out of the country, Japan and Norway.

Because there is limited data on mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, the scholars who helped assemble the report admit that their figures are more speculative. For 41 of Africa's 54 countries, there were no trustworthy statistics.

Prof. Jon Wakefield of the University of Washington in Seattle assisted the WHO and told the BBC: "Better data gathering techniques are urgently required.

"It's a pity that people might be born and die with no record of their existence.

"As a result, we must spend heavily in countries' registration systems in order to obtain accurate and timely data."