Cuba is the oldest country in Latin America: 17.0% of its population was 65 or older in 2025, according to the World Bank. It is followed by Uruguay (16.3%) and Chile (14.6%), third of 19 countries, with 2.9 million older people. Argentina has 12.6%, Peru 9.5% and Mexico 8.5%. At the other end are Honduras (4.5%) and Guatemala (5.0%). The Latin America and Caribbean average is 10.2%, just below the world figure (10.4%) and far from OECD countries (19.0%).
Population aging determines how much countries will spend on pensions and health in the coming decades and how many people will remain of working age. This ranking of the population aged 65 and over in Latin America compares each country's share of older people, their number and the aging index, and is updated on this same page when the World Bank publishes new estimates.
View the data as a table
| Cuba | 17.0% |
| Chile | 14.6% |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 10.2% |
| Older people in Chile | 2.90 million |
| Region | 2000 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 5.5% | 10.2% |
| World | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| OECD countries | 12.7% | 19.0% |
| Chile | 8.2% | 14.6% |
Ranking of the population aged 65 and over in Latin America
| Rank | Country | % aged 65+ | People aged 65+ | % under 15 | Aging index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuba | 17.0 | 1,863,153 | 15.0 | 113 |
| 2 | Uruguay | 16.3 | 551,091 | 17.9 | 91 |
| 3 | Chile | 14.6 | 2,897,512 | 16.6 | 88 |
| 4 | Costa Rica | 12.8 | 657,103 | 18.3 | 70 |
| 5 | Argentina | 12.6 | 5,793,062 | 21.0 | 60 |
| 6 | Brazil | 11.5 | 24,431,586 | 19.4 | 59 |
| 7 | Colombia | 10.2 | 5,449,470 | 20.0 | 51 |
| 8 | Venezuela | 10.0 | 2,856,896 | 24.9 | 40 |
| 9 | Panama | 9.7 | 441,442 | 24.5 | 39 |
| 10 | Peru | 9.5 | 3,273,221 | 23.6 | 40 |
| 11 | Ecuador | 8.6 | 1,572,279 | 23.9 | 36 |
| 12 | Mexico | 8.5 | 11,243,769 | 24.1 | 35 |
| 13 | El Salvador | 8.3 | 528,918 | 24.4 | 34 |
| 14 | Dominican Rep. | 8.2 | 943,281 | 26.2 | 31 |
| 15 | Paraguay | 6.7 | 471,180 | 28.4 | 24 |
| 16 | Bolivia | 5.7 | 722,204 | 29.4 | 19 |
| 17 | Nicaragua | 5.7 | 399,256 | 28.3 | 20 |
| 18 | Guatemala | 5.0 | 927,531 | 31.0 | 16 |
| 19 | Honduras | 4.5 | 499,897 | 30.3 | 15 |
Source: World Bank, indicator SP.POP.65UP.TO.ZS, based on UN Population Division estimates, accessed November 15, 2026; people aged 65 and over, indicator SP.POP.65UP.TO; under 15, SP.POP.0014.TO.ZS. The aging index is a Vivarae News calculation: how many people aged 65 or over there are for every 100 under 15. The 2025 figures are estimates and may differ from each country's censuses and projections.
View the data as a table
| Cuba | 17.0% |
| Uruguay | 16.3% |
| Chile | 14.6% |
| Costa Rica | 12.8% |
| Argentina | 12.6% |
| Brazil | 11.5% |
| Colombia | 10.2% |
| Venezuela | 10.0% |
| Panama | 9.7% |
| Peru | 9.5% |
| Ecuador | 8.6% |
| Mexico | 8.5% |
| El Salvador | 8.3% |
| Dominican Republic | 8.2% |
| Paraguay | 6.7% |
| Bolivia | 5.7% |
| Nicaragua | 5.7% |
| Guatemala | 5.0% |
| Honduras | 4.5% |
Aging index in Latin America: older people per 100 children
The aging index shows the shift more clearly. In Cuba there are 113 people aged 65 or over for every 100 under 15, meaning there are already more older people than children. Uruguay has 91 and Chile 88, very close to that crossover point. Argentina has 60, Peru 40 and Mexico 35. In Guatemala and Honduras the ratio is 16 and 15, because they still have young populations with more births, as the ranking of fertility rates in Latin America shows.
View the data as a table
| Life expectancy at birth, 2024 (years) | % aged 65+, 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 78.3 | 17.0% |
| Uruguay | 78.3 | 16.3% |
| Chile | 81.4 | 14.6% |
| Costa Rica | 81.0 | 12.8% |
| Argentina | 77.5 | 12.6% |
| Brazil | 76.0 | 11.5% |
| Colombia | 77.9 | 10.2% |
| Venezuela | 72.7 | 10.0% |
| Panama | 79.8 | 9.7% |
| Peru | 77.9 | 9.5% |
| Ecuador | 77.6 | 8.6% |
| Mexico | 75.3 | 8.5% |
| El Salvador | 72.3 | 8.3% |
| Dominican Rep. | 73.9 | 8.2% |
| Paraguay | 74.0 | 6.7% |
| Bolivia | 68.7 | 5.7% |
| Nicaragua | 75.1 | 5.7% |
| Guatemala | 72.8 | 5.0% |
| Honduras | 73.0 | 4.5% |
The relationship with life expectancy is direct but not complete: Chile and Costa Rica live longer than the rest and are among the oldest, while Cuba and Uruguay, with somewhat lower life expectancy, are older mainly because few children are born.
How the population aged 65 and over has grown since 1991
In 1991, 6.3% of Chileans were 65 or older; in 2025, 14.6%. That is one of the biggest jumps in the region over the period: 8.3 points, second only to Cuba (8.6), versus 4.5 in Uruguay and 3.9 in Argentina, which was already an aging country in the 1990s. Mexico went from 4.2% to 8.5% and Peru from 3.6% to 9.5%. In absolute numbers, Mexico has the most older people after Brazil: 11.2 million, versus 24.4 million in Brazil.
View the data as a table
| Cuba | Uruguay | Chile | Argentina | Peru | Mexico | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.4% | 11.8% | 6.3% | 8.7% | 3.6% | 4.2% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | 13.1% | 8.2% | 9.7% | 4.3% | 5.0% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | 13.7% | 9.1% | 10.0% | 5.7% | 5.7% |
| 2010 | 12.6% | 14.2% | 10.0% | 10.4% | 7.2% | 6.1% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | 14.6% | 11.3% | 11.0% | 8.2% | 6.7% |
| 2020 | 15.6% | 15.3% | 12.6% | 11.8% | 8.7% | 7.5% |
| 2025 | 17.0% | 16.3% | 14.6% | 12.6% | 9.5% | 8.5% |
| Country | 1991 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 8.4 | 9.8 | 11.2 | 12.6 | 14.2 | 15.6 | 17.0 |
| Uruguay | 11.8 | 13.1 | 13.7 | 14.2 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 16.3 |
| Chile | 6.3 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 12.6 | 14.6 |
| Argentina | 8.7 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.6 |
| Brazil | 4.2 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 11.5 |
| Peru | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 7.2 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 9.5 |
| Mexico | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 4.7 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 10.2 |
Source: World Bank, indicator SP.POP.65UP.TO.ZS, based on UN Population Division estimates, accessed November 15, 2026. For the effect of aging on Chile's pensions, see how much the Universal Guaranteed Pension is in 2026; for each country's total size, the ranking of Latin America's population.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the oldest country in Latin America?
Cuba, with 17.0% of its population aged 65 or over in 2025, followed by Uruguay (16.3%) and Chile (14.6%).
How many older adults are there in Chile?
About 2.9 million people aged 65 or over in 2025, 14.6% of the population, according to the World Bank.
What is the aging index?
The number of people aged 65 or over for every 100 under 15. Above 100 means there are more older people than children.
How often is this ranking updated?
When the World Bank publishes new annual estimates. It is updated at this same URL.
How to cite this data
Vivarae News (2026). "Population aged 65 and over in Latin America: ranking by country 2026". Updated November 15, 2026. Available at https://vivaraenews.com/en/population-aged-65-and-over-in-latin-america-ranking-by-country-2026/. The data may be reproduced by citing Vivarae News and linking to this page; each country's figures come from the World Bank.
