London — According to the latest government figures, the UK’s coronavirus death toll has passed more than 40,000.

A total of 40,261 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for the virus until Friday evening.

With this record the UK has become the second country – after the US with 108,000 deaths – to pass the milestone.

According to the John Hopkins University, the UK is followed by Brazil (34,021), Italy (33,689) and France (29,068).

It is, however, difficult to draw direct comparisons between countries where population sizes vary and countries record Covid-19 data in different ways.

The UK has recorded the highest coronavirus death rate in the world, according to new analysis, which indicated that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to lock down the country at a relatively late stage of the pandemic may have significantly influenced the number of COVID-19 deaths in the UK.

Similarly, in a media analysis, the UK has registered 59,537 more deaths than usual since mid-March, which represents a death rate of 891 people per million.  An analysis by the Financial Times showed that the figures mean the UK has a higher rate of death at this time of year of any country for which reliable data is available.

That means the total number of deaths in the UK is the second-highest, behind only the US, where the death toll passed 100,000 on Thursday.

But the UK’s excess death rate is the highest when adjusted for population, ahead of the US, Sweden, and Italy, the Financial Times writes.