Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic which broke out in 2020 has had a profound impact on global society, often causing or enhancing the pre-existing marginalisation of peoples and places. This chapter explores the global implications of the pandemic paying attention to its differential health, economic, community and social impacts, placing a particular emphasis on how it has often further marginalised the most vulnerable social groups. Simultaneously it has disrupted national and global economies, employment prospects and overall levels of poverty. The chapter also draws attention to how the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals has been delayed by the disruption and losses caused by the pandemic. At the individual and societal level physical and mental health challenges have been aggravated, particularly given unequal access to medical resources and vaccines globally. Overall, it appears that marginalisation has increased and action, including how we, as a collective humanity, act, is critical to potentially placing us on a more sustainable growth path.