Demographic shifts: How will COVID impact European populations?

Excess deaths are an immediate effect, but concerns are rising about the lasting impact of job losses on birth rates.

More than a year after the novel coronavirus first reached Europe, which has to date recorded more than 775,000 deaths and 34 million confirmed cases, the deadly pandemic is far from over. Governments across the continent are scrambling to deal with unprecedented health crises as hospitals continue to be overwhelmed with large numbers of patients. Mass vaccination campaigns are facing issues and the threat of virus mutations is rising.