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Great Leap Forward had a death rate of 25.4:1000, putting it barely above India at the time in excess deaths.

China's death rate BEFORE Mao though was estimated to be around 49:1000.

Mao lowered Death Rates down to 10.8:1000. Also lowered Child Mortality from functionally 3/10 kids to 0.5/10 kids.

Also the idea Dikotter had access to Chinese archival information lmao, China isn't as stupid as Gorbachevs USSR, it doesn't let Anti-Communist activists access to their archives.

The actual Chinese archival information released put the death rate of the Great Leap Forward at 25.4:1000. Which does not count to 45 million deaths. If you want to calculate deaths likely caused by the GLF, it's 7.2 million, you do this from subtracting China's average death rate under Mao (10.8:1000) from 25.4:1000.

7.2 million is of course a big number, but again, not out of the norm for developing countries at the time if you actually look at the wider statistical numbers. The reason it's so big is because China's population is so insanely massive. If a country has a excess mortality rate of 500:1000 but only has 10000 people, then that is only 5000 deaths, despite actually being a more terribly run country.

Death counts of 45 million+ are not actually deaths, but statistical trickery where the actual claim is based on projected growth rates. The claim is actually 45 million more people would exist (projected forward), if the GLF didn't happen, not that it killed 45 million people.