Although the world is in lockdown, governments, epidemiologists, school principals, entrepreneurs and families around the world are already planning the next steps:

• how to safely reopen schools and businesses,
• how to commute and travel without transmitting or contracting infection,
• how to support those most affected by the crisis – the millions who have lost their livelihoods or their loved ones,
• how to ensure the already serious inequalities don’t deteriorate further.

Decisions made now and in the coming months will affect people all around the world for years to come. It is important that the governments making those decisions have access to the best information available.

Throughout this crisis, the international statistics community has continued to work together, in partnership with national statistical offices and systems around the world, to ensure that the best quality data and statistics are available to support decision making during and after the crisis. The report gives a small flavour of the results of that cooperation.

The statistics presented in the report are unprecedented: by the end of April 2020, 212 countries, territories or areas had reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, there had been more than 3 million cases of infection and more than 210 000 people had died.

These shocking figures are followed by some startling economic numbers, such as a 9% year-on-year fall in manufacturing production. On the social side, we see a shocking loss of employment – a decline of almost 10.5% in total working hours, which is the equivalent of 305 million full-time workers. This crisis will push an additional 40 to 60 million people into extreme poverty. Meanwhile, some 1.6 billion students have been affected by school closures.

It’s not all bad news - positive aspects of lockdown measures

The lockdown measures, which were imposed by governments to slow the spread of the virus, minimise loss of life and prevent catastrophic outcomes for national health systems, also had some unexpected positive effects. In countries with a relatively low murder rate, the measures have reduced violence even further. For example, the tight lockdown regime enforced in Italy has resulted in a sharp decrease in homicides. The slowdown has also given the environment some breathing room: China’s two-month coronavirus lockdown may have saved the lives of 4 000 children under five and 73 000 adults over 70 thanks to the drop in air pollution.

• Read the whole report