Significant drop in births, divorces during pandemic

The compulsory confinement of people at home due to the coronavirus pandemic has not led to an increase in births, according to the latest data of the Interior Ministry for the months of November and December 2020 – more than nine months since the first lockdown.

On the contrary, births decreased by 6.5% in relation to the corresponding months in 2019.

“This means that young people [who might otherwise be thinking of having children] have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, both emotionally and financially, due to prolonged confinement and the consequent inability to make family plans,” said ministry official Michalis Stavrianoudakis, who published the relevant data.

The downward trend continued in January this year, with 7,049 new births compared to the corresponding month in 2020 (7,778). In February there were 6,553 births, down from 6,658 in the same month last year.

There was also a significant decrease in the number of divorces in 2020 (4,568) compared to 2019 (7,709) and 2018 (7,634). 

The decline is seen linked to the financial insecurity created by the pandemic, but also to the under-functioning of the courts.