Studies on Some Issues Specific to Demography during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic, the causative agent of which is the RNA virus SARS-CoV-2, has led to the biggest health crisis in the recent history of the world. The pandemic is not only continually challenging the healthcare system but is also leading to drastic changes in the demographic structure of the population and is causing a considerable loss of human capital. The objective of this article is to take an early look at the demographic aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the immense future impacts it can have on demography and human capital formation in the years to come. Pandemics like COVID-19 pose a significant threat to both development and maintenance of human capital and can lead to drastic changes in the population structures and disrupt the demographic transition of populations in different countries worldwide. The observed demographic change along with changes in population age structure (where certain cohorts are more severely affected) brought about by the pandemic have also potentially increased the dependent population whose overall development is hampered due to restrictions imposed on their freedom and lifestyle which can lead to a significant and stringent loss of their capability to productively contribute to a country’s future. The recent mutations reported in 2021 are also leading to the untimely demise of people of the skilled working age groups. The resultant disruption of the process of human capital formation can have severe multi-dimensional and intergenerational implications. As the effects of COVID-19 on demographics and human capital formation can be long lasting, along with development of healthcare facilities, judicious planning in these fields is also of considerable importance.