NEW YORK - Global COVID-19 deaths surpassed 2.5 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The global death toll rose to 2,501,626, with a total of more than 112.7 million cases worldwide as of 12:24 p.m. local time (1724 GMT), the CSSE data showed.

The United States remains the worst-hit nation, with 28,348,259 cases and 506,500 deaths, accounting for more than 25 percent of the global caseload and more than 20 percent of the global death toll.

Brazil recorded 249,957 deaths. Mexico replaced India to become the country with the world's third largest fatalities of 182,815.

Countries with over 80,000 fatalities also include India, Britain, Italy, France, and Russia.

Global COVID-19 deaths reached the grim milestone of 1 million on Sept. 28, 2020, and the number doubled on Jan. 15, 2021.