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There are now more than 2.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in 185 countries as the disease continues to spread. At least 181,000 people have died.

The United States has more than four times as many confirmed cases as any other country.

This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus since it emerged in China in December last year.

How many deaths have there been?

The virus, which causes the respiratory infection Covid-19, was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

It is spreading rapidly in many countries and the death toll is still climbing.

Note: Johns Hopkins University puts total global cases at just over 2.6 million, however the map and table in this page use a different source for France which results in a slightly lower overall total.

The US has by far the largest number of cases, with more than 834,000 confirmed infections, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University. This is more than nine times the number reported by China.

The US also has the world's highest death toll with more than 45,000 fatalities including almost 15,000 in New York City alone.

Spain, Italy and France - the worst-hit European countries - have all recorded more than 20,000 deaths, while the UK has suffered more than 18,000.

In the UK new data has shown deaths in England and Wales have almost doubled above what would be expected for the week up to 10 April, with some 30% of all deaths in England and Wales linked to Covid-19.

Note: The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average

China's official death toll from the outbreak is just over 4,600 from some 83,800 confirmed cases. Numbers for deaths jumped on 17 April after what officials called "a statistical review".

Critics of the Chinese government have questioned whether the country's official numbers can be trusted.

China has now lifted many of the stringent measures it took to bring the disease under control, including a ban on all travel to and from Wuhan.

The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March. This is when an infectious disease is passing easily from person to person in many parts of the world at the same time.

The WHO said it took more than three months to reach the first 100,000 confirmed cases worldwide, but it took less than a week for the number to double from 500,000 to a million. It then took two weeks to top two million.

While more than 2.6 million people are known to have been infected worldwide, the true figure is thought to be much higher as many of those with milder symptoms have not been tested and counted.

Governments across the world have halted flights, locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home.

More than 4.5 billion people - half the world's population - are estimated to be now living under social distancing measures to slow the pandemic, according to the AFP news agency.

The pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger, the UN World Food Programme has warned.

And the oil market continued to slump on Wednesday after the price of US oil fell below zero earlier in the week.

Oil producers have been paying buyers to take the commodity off their hands over fears that, with demand shrinking, storage capacity could run out in May.

The global economy faces the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the International Monetary Fund has said.

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Europe is battling to slow infection rates

Italy and Spain remain the worst affected countries after the US, although the slowing of infection rates appears to show the success of social distancing,

Italy will unveil an "exit plan" from lockdown this week, after figures showed a very slight fall in infections.

Spain has more than 208,000 confirmed cases - the second highest global figure - while Italy has the second highest death toll of more than 25,000.

Both countries have been in lockdown since early March, however some quarantine measures are starting to be relaxed.

Spanish children, who have been kept indoors at home since 14 March, are expected to be allowed outside from 26 April.

In the UK, there have now been more than 133,000 confirmed cases and more than 18,000 deaths.

Like Spain, deaths in the UK grew rapidly at first, doubling faster than every two days. While the rate of increase has slowed, the British government has ruled out lifting lockdown measures until at least early May.

Many European countries have slowly started to ease their restrictions, with Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republics now allowing certain businesses to reopen.

There is no co-ordination at EU level however, and the WHO has warned that lockdowns must be lifted slowly and carefully.

New York is epicentre of US outbreak

With more than 834,000 cases, the US has the highest number of confirmed infections in the world. The number of deaths now stands at more than 45,000, having almost doubled in little more than a week.

The state of New York has more confirmed cases than anywhere else in the world, and there have been almost 15,000 deaths in New York City alone.

State Governor Andrew Cuomo says the toll "seems to be on a gentle decline". He said 474 people had died in the state in the last 24 hours - the lowest since 2 April.

President Trump has announced that he will suspend all immigration to the US because of the coronavirus, in a measure that would "protect American jobs".

At a White House coronavirus briefing, he said the ban could be extended "much longer" depending on how the economy was doing.

Over the last month a record 20 million Americans have registered for unemployment benefits.

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield has warned that the US could experience a second wave of the virus that's even worse than the first - which would put "unimaginable strain" on the country's healthcare system.

Mr Redfield said that social distancing remained key to curb the spread of the virus.

A number of states, including South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, have announced plans to scale back their lockdowns, despite warnings from public health officials that the outbreak has not yet peaked.

Much of the planet is on lockdown

Strict lockdowns were imposed around the world as the outbreak took hold.

From Argentina to New Zealand and from Saudi Arabia to South Africa, cities were shut down, restricting how often people could leave their homes and for what reason. India told the country's 1.3 billion residents to stay at home.

In Paris, authorities banned exercise during the day to reduce the number of people out on the streets.

Brazil has seen a steep rise in cases and deaths from the coronavirus. Every state in South America's largest country has reported coronavirus deaths - the most being in Sao Paulo. Cities and local authorities have imposed restrictions to try to prevent the spread of the virus but Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has come under criticism for his own response, most recently for attending an anti-lockdown rally.

Elsewhere in the region, where many economies are already struggling and millions live on what they can earn day-to-day, there are also concerns about the strain the number of virus cases could put on health care systems.

Ecuador has already seen its health system collapse - thousands have died from the virus and other conditions that could not be treated because of the crisis. Mortuaries and morgues were also overwhelmed.

In South Africa, the government's ban on the sale and transportation of alcohol during the lockdown has helped drastically reduce the number of trauma cases arriving at emergency departments, keeping those beds available for coronavirus cases.

The virus has been held in check for several weeks, says the BBC's Andrew Harding, but government advisors warn it may start to spread again exponentially.

Data on planned journeys in major cities, from the travel app Citymapper, shows how people in places like London, Madrid, Istanbul and New York are now moving around far less than they were a few weeks ago.

The data shows that while Milan in northern Italy has been locked down for weeks, many other cities have been restricting movement for a much shorter period.

While movement is also down in the South Korean capital Seoul, the city hasn't ground to a halt like European capitals, despite South Korea facing a surge in cases in February and March.

The data highlights South Korea's strategy of large-scale testing and focused contact tracing, rather than imposing a lockdown.

In Sweden, the government has avoided strict measures, issuing guidelines rather than rules.

While Stockholm's chart shows passenger numbers on subway and commuter trains far below normal, Sweden has recorded the highest number of infections in Scandinavia.