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Coronavirus is continuing its spread across the world, with more than 16 million confirmed cases in 188 countries. More than 640,000 people have lost their lives.

This series of maps and charts tracks the global spread of the virus.

Where are coronavirus cases and deaths still rising?

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

It then spread quickly across the globe in the first months of 2020, reaching more than 15 million confirmed cases by the second half of July.

Europe and North America saw the first major outbreaks in April but as they began to ease, Latin America and Asia started seeing an increase in cases.

North America has seen a resurgence of infections in recent weeks, mostly driven by new outbreaks in the US.

On Thursday, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that there was still "intense transmission in a relatively small group of countries." He pointed out that almost half of all cases reported so far were from just three countries: the US, Brazil and India.

Latin America is now the epicentre of the pandemic. Brazil is the worst-hit in the region so far, with more than 85,000 deaths.

WHO emergencies expert, Mike Ryan, has said that whilst the number of Covid-19 cases is no longer rising exponentially in Brazil, the country was "still very much in the middle of this fight."

Colombia, which has seen more than 8,000 deaths, extended its nationwide lockdown after infections accelerated in several cities.

In Asia, India surpassed one million cases in mid-July and several states re-imposed partial lockdowns just weeks after a two-month nationwide lockdown was ended.

South Africa and Egypt have seen the largest outbreaks so far in Africa. But testing rates are reported to be extremely low in some parts of the continent, which could be distorting official estimates of how far the virus has spread.

A report by the South African Medical Research Council suggests that country's death toll could be much higher than reported.

• How politics is central to South America's virus battle
• Is India the next global hotspot?

Are any countries seeing a 'second wave' of cases?

Previous pandemics have unfolded in "waves" of infections, with fresh outbreaks recurring after the initial peak subsides. Health experts think Covid-19 may follow a similar pattern, but there is no firm agreement on what exactly constitutes a second wave.

Although a number of countries have seen a rise in infections after appearing to have the virus under control, they may still be in the first stages of the outbreak. And rising cases may sometimes be down to increased testing.

Spain has seen a surge in new cases - reporting more than 900 on Friday. In response the north-eastern region of Catalonia has announced the closure of nightclubs and late-night bars.

The UK has announced a new ban on all but essential travel to the country - and visitors returning to the UK from Spain will have to quarantine for 14 days.

There has also been a second rise in cases in Israel since restrictions were eased at the end of May.

On Sunday, Australia reported 10 deaths, the highest number in the country since the pandemic began. It follows a surge in cases, mostly centred on the city of Melbourne, where people have been told to wear masks when out in public.

Meanwhile, Japan's capital Tokyo has seen record numbers of cases in recent days, driving a second surge nationwide. The government has said that a campaign to promote travel within the country and help boost the economy will not include Tokyo.

US seeing a second surge of cases

The US has seen record numbers of new cases in recent weeks and the death toll has also started to rise.

The renewed surge is being driven by fresh outbreaks in the south and west of the country, which have seen infection rates go up since states started easing lockdown restrictions at the end of May.

On Thursday, the number of recorded cases in the US reached four million.

Its death toll stands at more than 145,000 - almost a quarter of the reported coronavirus deaths around the world.

President Donald Trump has warned that the US pandemic may "get worse before it gets better".

He has also urged Americans to wear face coverings, saying "they'll have an effect and we need everything we can get".

Previously, the president had said he would not tell people to wear masks.

The majority of state governors have now ordered that the wearing of masks in public be mandatory, rather than a personal choice.

The University of Washington predicts the death toll could hit more than 220,000 by the beginning of November - though it says this could be reduced to about 180,000 if 95% of Americans wear masks in public.

• How did Florida get so badly hit by Covid-19?

• RISK AT WORK: How exposed is your job?
• THE R NUMBER: What it means and why it matters
• COMPARING COUNTRIES: The pitfalls of doing so
• R0, FURLOUGH: The language of the outbreak
• RECOVERY: How long does it take to get better?

How many cases and deaths have there been overall?

There have been more than 16 million confirmed cases so far and more than 640,000 people have died.

Note: The map, table and animated bar chart in this page use a different source for figures for France from that used by Johns Hopkins University, which results in a slightly lower overall total. US figures do not include Puerto Rico, Guam or the US Virgin Islands.

The US accounts for about 25% of the global total of cases and has the world's highest death toll, followed by Brazil and the UK.

In China, the official death toll is some 4,600 from about 85,000 confirmed cases, although critics have questioned whether the country's official numbers can be trusted.

Globally, the true number of cases is thought to be much higher than the reported figures, as many people with milder symptoms have not been tested and counted.

In the table below, countries can be reordered by deaths, death rate and total cases. In the coloured bars on the right-hand side, countries in which cases have risen to more than 5,000 per day are those with black bars on the relevant date.

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

Governments across the world have been forced to limit the movement of the public in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, which has had a devastating impact on the global economy.

The International Monetary Fund has said the world is in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression and warned that it could take two years for economic output to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The United Nations has said that up to 265 million people could face starvation by the end of the year because of the impact of Covid-19.

Europe easing lockdown restrictions

In Europe, the UK, Italy, Germany and France, along with others, appear to have passed the peak of infections, with the number of new deaths falling. However, the recent spike in cases in Spain has sparked fears of a more widespread surge.

Several countries have introduced restrictions on travellers arriving from high-risk destinations and France says people arriving from 16 countries where the virus is widely circulating will be subject to on-the-spot coronavirus tests.

The UK has reported more than 45,700 deaths - the highest number in Europe.

Italy has the second highest death toll in the region with more than 35,000, while France has more than 30,000 and Spain more than 28,000.

However, differences in population size and how countries report their figures, with some including deaths in care homes, or deaths of those suspected but not confirmed of having the virus, means that final international comparisons are complicated.

• How European countries are easing lockdowns

About this data

The data used on this page comes from a variety of sources. It includes figures collated by Johns Hopkins University, data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, national governments and health agencies, as well as UN data on populations.

When comparing figures from different countries it is important to bear in mind that not all governments are recording coronavirus cases and deaths in the same way. This makes like for like comparisons between countries difficult.

Other factors to consider include: different population sizes, the size of a country's elderly population or whether a particular country has a large amount of its people living in densely-populated areas. In addition, countries may be in different stages of the pandemic.