The 2022 special issue is dedicated to the demographic aspects and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. A large part of the articles focuses on the analysis of the infections and the mortality patterns, analysing the socio-economic characteristics that influence the spread of infections and determine the number of deaths. They analyse different waves of the pandemic, often with a comparative framework across multiple countries and at the regional level – in Europe and outside of Europe. The volume also addresses how the pandemic affected the quality of relationships, the intention and motivation to have children, and realized fertility. In addition to more specific topics, such as the impact of the spread of crime on mortality in Mexico or a comparison of mortality between nursing home residents and the general population in England, Wales, and Belgium, the issue also includes broader reflections on the likely risks facing different communities of individuals and the potential consequences on their life course, also in relation to other recent risks that overlap with the pandemic (climate change, depopulation, recent armed conflicts).