Governments worldwide have implemented public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce interpersonal contact. This has led to changes in family dynamics and daily routines as individuals are required to stay at home for work, school, and quarantine. Additionally, the prevailing fear of infection has had the potential to create negative sentiment within families. This article examines the extent of these changes in family life during the pandemic by analyzing crude birth rates and crude divorce rates.

The selected countries for this study include Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in Asia, and Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark in Europe. The United States and Australia are also included. The study explores family life before and after the pandemic based on crude birth rates and crude divorce rates. In 2021, the top five countries with the highest crude birth rates were Australia (12.1‰), the United States (11.0‰), Sweden (11.0‰), Denmark (10.8‰), and the Czech Republic (10.6‰). The average crude birth rate in the European Union was 9.1‰, while Taiwan's rate was 6.6‰. In terms of crude divorce rates, the top three countries in 2021 were the United States (2.5‰), Hong Kong (2.3‰), and Sweden (2.3‰), with Taiwan at 2.0‰ and an average rate of 1.7‰ in the European Union.

When comparing the crude birth rates and crude divorce rates before (2019) and after (2021) the pandemic, Hong Kong experienced the largest difference in crude birth rate, with a decrease of 2.0‰ in 2021. The differences in other countries were within a range of 1‰ or less. Countries such as Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands observed an increase in crude birth rates during the pandemic. Most countries showed a slight decrease in crude divorce rates during the pandemic, with Luxembourg having the largest decrease (0.9‰). Only three countries experienced a slight increase in crude divorce rates: Denmark, Hungary, and Australia. Taiwan showed a slight decline in both crude birth rates and crude divorce rates during the pandemic.

It is important to note that a single value provides only a superficial observation of family life, but family structures are diverse and varied. As the pandemic gradually improves and governments begin to ease preventive measures, people are slowly returning to their normal lives.