Latin America Begins to Treat Care as a Public Matter
If one of us needed daily help, would the government give any?
Picture a couple named Gabe, 68, and Carmen, 66. They are thinking of retiring in Latin America. Carmen asked a plain question over coffee: "If one of us needed daily help, would the government give any?"
Gabe said he thought some countries had a national care system.
"Some have a plan," Carmen said. "Let's find out which is which."
They made a list.
| Country | What exists | What is still planned or limited |
|---|---|---|
| Uruguay | A national care system created by Law 19.353 in 2015. It includes a personal assistant benefit for people with severe dependency who live in a private home, with a subsidy of 80 hours a month | The rules list citizenship or 10 years of residence. In July 2019 there were 4,808 users and 5,554 more approved. Current numbers are not in these sources |
| Chile | The Chile Cuida law, published 16 February 2026, creating a national system of support and care | Rolled out gradually. Whether foreign residents can use it is a question for the agency |
| Mexico | Care appears in the national development plan for 2025 to 2030. Mexico City approved a care system law on 26 May 2026, reported as the second in the country after Jalisco | The national system is still a plan. Programs aimed at care were set at 38,596 million pesos for 2026, down 18.6% from 2025, as the proposal states |
| Costa Rica | CECUIDAM day centers for older adults, 12 operating, aimed at poor or vulnerable people | REDCUDI, the national care network, is for child care |
| Colombia | A national care policy, CONPES 4143, approved 14 February 2025, with 133 actions through 2034 | It is a policy. It is not a benefit that pays a person |
Several of these items come from news reports, so we call them reported. The Uruguay figures are from 2019.
"Uruguay has the only one that pays for hours of help," Gabe said.
"For people with severe dependency," Carmen said. "And with a residence test."
In Mexico, a national survey in 2022 found that among about 20 million people 60 and older, 28.8% received care. About 0.8% of households hired nursing or care staff. Care there is mainly given by family, and 75.1% of caregivers were women. Colombia looks similar, where 71% of care for older people was unpaid and given by household members, per a 2023 report.
You could…
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Ask the national or city agency whether a foreign resident can apply, and after how many years.
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Ask local families how they arrange care today.
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Check whether a private helper is available at a price you could plan around.
What have you seen of how care works in a Latin American country? Share it here. Someone reading may be choosing where to live.
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Sources: Uruguay Presidency and MIDES pages (2019, 2021); Pauta and Biobio (Chile, 2026); Chamber of Deputies Gaceta, 7 April 2026, and IMCO (Mexico); INEGI ENASIC 2022; Misión Colombia Envejece (2023); Infobae (Costa Rica, 20 March 2026); Consultorsalud on CONPES 4143.
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