Convergence Toward Demographic Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean

The region known as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) had 652 million inhabitants in 2018. Historically, it has been divided into many countries, beginning with colonization from Spain and Portugal. Miscegenation with the indigenous population settled its now distinctive social, cultural, and ethnic characteristics. Spanish is the nearly universal language, considering its command by the educated class of Brazil. On average, LAC's development is at a middle-income level. Its economic, social, and cultural background is highly diverse, both between countries and within each nation. Demographically, LAC is following the global trend of aging, although countries are heterogeneous in population sizes and progressing through different stages of demographic and epidemiological transitions. Based on the current trends of mortality, fertility, and migration, it is estimated that by 2060, the population will reach a maximum of about 790 million, then start a decrease in a concomitant convergence toward population aging.