The flu claimed 39 million lives between 1918-1920, or 2% of the world population at the time MUMBAI : A 100 years after the Great Influenza Pandemic, also known as the Spanish Flu of 1918, the covid-19 outbreak has led to historians and economists pointing out similarities between the two.
In a new study, economists Robert Barro and other researchers predict the damage covid-19 could have based on evidence from the Spanish Flu for 43 nations.
The flu claimed 39 million lives between 1918-1920, or 2% of the world population at the time. Scaled up to the population levels today, the authors estimate the current pandemic to cause at least 150 million deaths worldwide.