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Data associated with: Overview of Aging and Dependency in Latin America and the Caribbean

By Health, Nutrition and Population Division (VPS/SCL/HNP)

This dataset was created to support the 2016 Development in the Americas (DIA) report (related publication available only in Spanish). It addresses the challenges posed by the accelerated aging process that countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are undergoing, which imposes unprecedented pressures on the long-term care sector.

The growing demand for care from the elderly population coincides with a decline in the availability of informal caregivers. Governments in the region must prepare to meet these pressures by expanding formal care services and addressing gaps that contribute to wealth inequality in Latin America and exclusion in old age.

To help address this challenge, the Inter-American Development Bank created the Observatory on Aging and Care. The Observatory provides data and evidence to help decision-makers design policies that promote inclusion, equity, and the integration of social mobility in the context of aging.

In its initial phase, the Observatory documents the demographic profile of countries in the region, the health status of elderly populations, their limitations and levels of dependency, and key socioeconomic characteristics. The goal is to estimate the care needs countries will face in the coming decades.

Key findings highlight the scale of the issue: 11% of the population aged 60 and older is dependent, and both the magnitude and intensity of dependency increase with age. Women are the most affected across all age groups.

This brief is part of a broader series of studies on dependency care, including works by Caruso, Galiani, and Ibarrarán (2017), Medellín et al. (2018), López-Ortega (2018), and Aranco and Sorio (2018).

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Metadata & use

Identifier https://doi.org/10.60966/aadt-2641
License Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 IGO
Related Knowledge Product
Citation

Stampini, Marco, et al. (2018). Data associated with: Overview of Aging and Dependency in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Open Data. https://doi.org/10.60966/aadt-2641
Published date 2018-04-24
Modified date 2026-07-15
Tags/Keywords Disease · Elderly · Life Expectancy · Long-Term Care · Population Aging
Language
  1. Spanish
Temporal coverage 2015-2050
Country
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
Uruguay
Venezuela
Region Latin America and the Caribbean
Publisher
Inter-American Development Bank
Author
Stampini, Marco
Aranco, Natalia
Ibarrarán, Pablo
Medellín, Nadin
Data collection type Observational Data
Data structure Semistructured Data
Data notes

What does this dataset cover?

It supports the 2016 Development in the Americas report on aging and dependency in Latin America and the Caribbean, documenting the demographic profile of the region, the health status of older populations, their limitations and levels of dependency, and key socioeconomic characteristics used to estimate future long-term-care needs.

Who produced it and why?

It was created by the Inter-American Development Bank's Observatory on Aging and Care to give decision-makers data and evidence for designing policies that promote inclusion, equity, and social mobility as the region ages.

What are the key findings?

About 11% of the population aged 60 and older is dependent, and both the magnitude and intensity of dependency increase with age; women are the most affected across all age groups.

How do I cite this dataset?

Cite the Inter-American Development Bank as publisher and link to the dataset page at https://data.iadb.org/dataset/data-associated-with-overview-of-aging-and-dependency-in-latin-america-and-.

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