Global COVID: Tracking countries with the most virus cases, deaths on Jan. 24, 2021

Identifying the top 15 countries currently most affected by the coronavirus pandemic

Chinese women dressed in traditional costumes and wearing masks visit a popular shopping street in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. A year after it was locked down to contain the spread of coronavirus, the central Chinese city of Wuhan has largely returned to normal, even as China continues to battle outbreaks elsewhere in the country. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) (Ng Han Guan, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve around the world each day.

LOCAL: Coronavirus in Michigan: Here’s what to know Jan. 24, 2021

Recommended Videos



Each week, we’ll provide updates on which countries have the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Data as of 12:22 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2021.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is 98,954,912 -- an increase of nearly 4.2 million since last week.

Countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases

  1. United States - 25,031,463 COVID cases
  2. India - 10,654,533 COVID cases
  3. Brazil - 8,816,254 COVID cases
  4. Russia - 3,679,247 COVID cases
  5. United Kingdom - 3,657,826 COVID cases
  6. France - 3,094,017 COVID cases
  7. Spain - 2,499,560 COVID cases
  8. Italy - 2,466,813 COVID cases
  9. Turkey - 2,429,605 COVID cases
  10. Germany - 2,146,030 COVID cases
  11. Colombia - 2,002,969 COVID cases
  12. Argentina - 1,862,192 COVID cases
  13. Mexico - 1,752,347 COVID cases
  14. Poland - 1,475,445 COVID cases
  15. South Africa - 1,404,839 COVID cases

Since our last report: Spain jumped from #9 to #7 in the world over the last week. South Africa reentered the world’s top #15, replacing Iran as #15.

All remaining countries listed above reported an increase in virus cases, but have each maintained their ranking over the last seven days.



The total number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths around the world is 2,124,685 -- an increase of more than 98,000 since last week.

Countries with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths

  1. United States - 417,902 COVID deaths
  2. Brazil - 216,445 COVID deaths
  3. India - 153,339 COVID deaths
  4. Mexico - 149,084 COVID deaths
  5. United Kingdom - 98,128 COVID deaths
  6. Italy - 85,461 COVID deaths
  7. France - 73,019 COVID deaths
  8. Russia - 68,397 COVID deaths
  9. Iran - 57,383 COVID deaths
  10. Spain - 55,441 COVID deaths
  11. Germany - 52,154 COVID deaths
  12. Colombia - 50,982 COVID deaths
  13. Argentina - 46,737 COVID deaths
  14. South Africa - 40,574 COVID deaths
  15. Peru - 39,274 COVID deaths

Since our last report: Germany rose on the global list again for a second week in a row, jumping from #12 to #11 in the world. South Africa also jumped from #15 to #14 in the world.

The remaining countries listed above have all reported an increase in virus deaths, but have each maintained their ranking over the last seven days.


All data is sourced from Johns Hopkins University’s global COVID-19 data.

Compare the data to last week’s report right here

Click here for the latest coronavirus news