In 2023, nearly 62 million lives were lost worldwide - an average of around 7,000 deaths every hour.

These numbers reflect the impacts of aging, illness, and conflict, and Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao takes a further look into the countries with the most deaths every hour.

Data is sourced from the latest UN Population Prospects and figures are rounded.

Ranked: Countries with the Most Deaths (2023)

At the top of the list, China lost more than 1,300 people every hour in 2023. This is about 300 more deaths than second-ranked India (roughly 1,000 people ever hour).

RankCountryDeaths in 2023Deaths per Hour

1🇨🇳 China11,684,1771,334

2🇮🇳 India9,507,0081,085

3🇺🇸 U.S.2,975,658340

4🇳🇬 Nigeria2,675,442305

5🇮🇩 Indonesia2,117,706242

6🇷🇺 Russia1,794,857205

7🇵🇰 Pakistan1,600,313183

8🇯🇵 Japan1,524,430174

9🇧🇷 Brazil1,494,154171

10🇩🇪 Germany1,034,140118

11🇨🇩 DRC901,851103

12🇧🇩 Bangladesh859,07598

13🇲🇽 Mexico799,36691

14🇪🇹 Ethiopia767,01888

15🇵🇭 Philippines716,49082

16🇮🇹 Italy663,44876

17🇻🇳 Vietnam659,98075

18🇬🇧 UK653,74775

19🇹🇭 Thailand637,30673

20🇪🇬 Egypt625,44971

21🇫🇷 France616,09570

22🇿🇦 South Africa584,01567

23🇹🇷 Turkey551,59863

24🇲🇲 Myanmar495,47057

25🇺🇦 Ukraine495,42157

26🇪🇸 Spain447,46351

27🇮🇷 Iran423,36748

28🇵🇱 Poland412,31047

29🇰🇪 Kenya399,02446

30🇹🇿 Tanzania385,79944

31🇦🇷 Argentina349,19540

32🇰🇷 South Korea345,50239

33🇸🇩 Sudan320,49137

34🇨🇦 Canada311,82436

35🇨🇴 Colombia282,43332

36🇷🇴 Romania257,11929

37🇰🇵 North Korea255,82629

38🇦🇴 Angola254,48229

39🇦🇫 Afghanistan240,29627

40🇨🇮 Ivory Coast238,74127

41🇬🇭 Ghana237,86927

42🇺🇬 Uganda235,58327

43🇲🇿 Mozambique235,52027

44🇲🇬 Madagascar234,84127

45🇳🇪 Niger231,74626

46🇺🇿 Uzbekistan221,24925

47🇩🇿 Algeria214,25924

48🇻🇪 Venezuela213,95524

49🇹🇩 Chad213,12324

50🇲🇦 Morocco212,62424

51🇳🇵 Nepal205,84123

52🇹🇼 Taiwan205,33923

53🇲🇱 Mali205,04723

54🇨🇲 Cameroon202,88223

55🇾🇪 Yemen188,76422

56🇮🇶 Iraq186,26621

57🇵🇪 Peru185,86121

58🇦🇺 Australia183,92421

59🇧🇫 Burkina Faso183,37521

60🇲🇾 Malaysia181,16621

61🇸🇴 Somalia180,55421

62🇳🇱 Netherlands169,32019

63🇱🇰 Sri Lanka162,45319

64🇰🇿 Kazakhstan136,38816

65🇬🇳 Guinea131,45515

66🇭🇺 Hungary128,06315

67🇨🇱 Chile127,69115

68🇬🇷 Greece127,01814

69🇿🇼 Zimbabwe124,41214

70🇧🇯 Benin124,13214

71🇧🇾 Belarus121,58714

72🇸🇾 Syria118,90014

73🇵🇹 Portugal115,91713

74🇧🇪 Belgium113,79113

75🇨🇿 Czech Republic113,52513

76🇲🇼 Malawi113,18113

77🇨🇺 Cuba111,81913

78🇰🇭 Cambodia111,34013

79🇸🇸 South Sudan110,33913

80🇿🇲 Zambia107,91712

81🇧🇬 Bulgaria102,98012

82🇸🇳 Senegal100,88212

83🇸🇪 Sweden93,94411

84🇷🇸 Serbia93,92811

85🇦🇹 Austria93,22311

86🇪🇨 Ecuador92,20411

87🇧🇮 Burundi91,96310

88🇭🇹 Haiti90,96610

89🇧🇴 Bolivia87,81210

90🇬🇹 Guatemala87,52310

91🇷🇼 Rwanda82,8269

92🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia77,8379

93🇹🇳 Tunisia74,0718

94🇨🇭 Switzerland73,7888

95🇹🇬 Togo71,6618

96🇩🇴 Dominican Republic70,8238

97🇸🇱 Sierra Leone70,1168

98🇦🇿 Azerbaijan67,8428

99🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea67,7008

100🇫🇮 Finland59,9847

101🇩🇰 Denmark57,2757

102🇭🇰 Hong Kong57,1907

103🇭🇷 Croatia55,0296

104🇸🇰 Slovakia54,1676

105🇮🇱 Israel51,2946

106🇱🇾 Libya48,6106

107🇨🇫 Central African Republic48,5296

108🇱🇦 Laos47,6825

109🇭🇳 Honduras47,6705

110🇹🇯 Tajikistan47,5955

111🇸🇻 El Salvador47,4435

112🇬🇪 Georgia45,0775

113🇱🇷 Liberia44,3335

114🇳🇴 Norway44,1435

115🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina42,8615

116🇹🇲 Turkmenistan42,5755

117🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan42,2005

118🇲🇩 Moldova41,7305

119🇱🇹 Lithuania40,9405

120🇵🇾 Paraguay39,0344

121🇵🇸 Palestine38,9374

122🇨🇬 Congo38,8804

123🇳🇿 New Zealand37,6864

124🇮🇪 Ireland35,5504

125🇯🇴 Jordan34,8734

126🇵🇷 Puerto Rico34,6644

127🇱🇧 Lebanon34,4194

128🇺🇾 Uruguay33,1454

129🇳🇮 Nicaragua31,2944

130🇨🇷 Costa Rica27,8613

131🇸🇬 Singapore27,7283

132🇲🇷 Mauritania27,7253

133🇱🇻 Latvia27,6143

134🇦🇲 Armenia27,5793

135🇱🇸 Lesotho24,6123

136🇦🇱 Albania23,4283

137🇯🇲 Jamaica22,9333

138🇸🇮 Slovenia21,5812

139🇵🇦 Panama21,2722

140🇪🇷 Eritrea20,9842

141🇲🇳 Mongolia20,3402

142🇲🇰 North Macedonia19,8632

143🇳🇦 Namibia18,2792

144🇬🇲 Gambia16,9752

145🇪🇪 Estonia16,6932

146🇬🇦 Gabon15,5772

147🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau15,1812

148🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea14,5562

149🇧🇼 Botswana14,1972

150🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago12,5771

151🇲🇺 Mauritius11,1241

152🇹🇱 Timor-Leste10,0651

153🇽🇰 Kosovo9,9811

154🇦🇪 UAE9,9161

155🇴🇲 Oman9,5971

156🇨🇾 Cyprus9,4991

157🇸🇿 Eswatini9,4751

158🇰🇼 Kuwait8,6241

159🇩🇯 Djibouti8,5961

160🇫🇯 Fiji8,5531

161🇲🇪 Montenegro7,2091

162🇰🇲 Comoros6,1191

163🇬🇾 Guyana6,0491

164🇧🇹 Bhutan4,8051

165🇷🇪 Réunion4,7971

166🇱🇺 Luxembourg4,6421

167🇸🇷 Suriname4,1820

168🇸🇧 Solomon Islands4,1130

169🇲🇹 Malta3,9280

170🇪🇭 Western Sahara3,6780

171🇬🇵 Guadeloupe3,5600

172🇲🇶 Martinique3,5020

173🇧🇸 Bahamas3,4800

174🇲🇴 Macau3,4230

175🇧🇭 Bahrain3,2780

176🇧🇧 Barbados2,9960

177🇶🇦 Qatar2,7710

178🇨🇻 Cape Verde2,6420

179🇮🇸 Iceland2,6120

180🇧🇳 Brunei2,4000

181🇧🇿 Belize2,0250

182🇨🇼 Curaçao1,8440

183🇳🇨 New Caledonia1,8180

184🇻🇺 Vanuatu1,6290

185🇱🇨 Saint Lucia1,5440

186🇬🇫 French Guiana1,5020

187🇼🇸 Samoa1,3340

188🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands1,3210

189🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe1,2870

190🇲🇻 Maldives1,2300

191🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines1,1650

192🇯🇪 Jersey1,1500

193🇬🇺 Guam1,1440

194🇸🇨 Seychelles1,0510

195🇬🇩 Grenada1,0370

196🇦🇼 Aruba1,0340

197🇵🇫 French Polynesia1,0260

198🇰🇮 Kiribati9340

199🇮🇲 Isle of Man8820

200🇫🇲 Micronesia8600

201🇾🇹 Mayotte8540

202🇩🇲 Dominica8490

203🇲🇨 Monaco8170

204🇹🇴 Tonga6740

205🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda6430

206🇬🇬 Guernsey5950

207🇧🇲 Bermuda5730

208🇫🇴 Faroe Islands5640

209🇬🇱 Greenland5510

210🇦🇩 Andorra4910

211🇰🇳 Saint Kitts & Nevis4660

212🇰🇾 Cayman Islands3510

213🇸🇽 Sint Maarten3470

214🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands3420

215🇦🇸 American Samoa3340

216🇱🇮 Liechtenstein3000

217🇲🇭 Marshall Islands2710

218🇸🇲 San Marino2700

219🇧🇶 Caribbean Netherlands2580

220🇲🇫 Saint Martin2550

221🇬🇮 Gibraltar2500

222🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands2330

223🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands2120

224🇵🇼 Palau2040

225🇨🇰 Cook Islands1320

226🇦🇮 Anguilla960

227🇹🇻 Tuvalu900

228🇳🇷 Nauru890

229🇸🇭 Saint Helena890

230🇼🇫 Wallis & Futuna880

231🇵🇲 Saint Pierre & Miquelon820

232🇧🇱 Saint Barthélemy700

233🇲🇸 Montserrat600

234🇫🇰 Falkland Islands270

235🇳🇺 Niue270

236🇹🇰 Tokelau140

237🇻🇦 Vatican City130

N/A🌎 World61,654,5897,038

Note: Figures are rounded to closest whole number for deaths per hour

Put together, nearly one-in-three deaths every hour occur in India or China.

Going through the rest of the list, the U.S. (340) and Nigeria (305) have nearly the same number of hourly deaths, as do Indonesia (242), and Russia (205).

These six countries account for half of all global deaths every hour.

For two of them, Russia and China, their death rate is currently higher than their birth rate, and with low immigration, both their populations are officially shrinking.

What Shrinking Populations Mean for China and Russia

Both countries will have to contend with an aging population, shrinking workforces, and an increase in related social costs like healthcare.

For Russia, its demographic concerns are also exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, already impacting an economy under sanctions. Brain drain is also a serious issue.

Meanwhile China built its economic engine on top of an abundant and cost-competitive workforce. As it loses that advantage, a potential economic stagnation—similar to Japan in the 90s—could stifle future growth.

We know what the first question is after reading this article. Check out: Global Births per Hour, by Country for an overview of the other side of the spectrum.