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20 May 2020updated 06 Oct 2020 9:45am

Sweden had highest per capita death rate in world over the past week

By Samuel Horti

Sweden has overtaken the UK to have the highest coronavirus death rate per capita in the world, according to new data analysed by the Our World in Data website.

The country, which has taken a more relaxed approach to lockdown than other European nations, recorded 6.08 daily deaths per million inhabitants on a rolling seven-day average between 13 May and 20 May.

This takes it past the UK, on 5.57. Belgium has seen 4.28 daily deaths per million inhabitants, while the figure in Italy is 4.11. Those three countries remain ahead of Sweden if you take an average over the entire pandemic. 

Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said it was misleading to look at the death toll over a single seven-day period.

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