The global death toll from COVID-19 has reportedly surpassed three million as cases topped 140 million.

The Associated Press (AP) reported the global tally citing data from Johns Hopkins University.

According to the university, the global toll of confirmed deaths from the novel coronavirus hit three million on Saturday, 13 months after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic.

The AP said that the number of lives lost is bigger than the population of Chicago, which has two-point-seven million.

The report said the actual number is believed to be higher due to possible data concealment.