National

Mexico Faces Accelerated Aging, Posing Fiscal and Healthcare Challenges

Mexico's rapidly aging population poses healthcare and fiscal challenges. Declining mortality and fertility rates are driving this demographic shift, necessitating policy adjustments and increased investment in areas like home healthcare, preventative medicine, and long-term care insurance.

Mexicanist

Jan 26, 2025 — 2 min read

Future family reunions: One abuelo, three chronic conditions, and zero hijos left to argue about who’s driving him to the clinic.

Mexico’s population is aging at an unprecedented rate, presenting significant economic and social challenges in the coming decades, according to Isalia Nava Bolaños, a researcher at the UNAM Institute of Economic Research. While European nations experienced this demographic shift over centuries, Mexico is undergoing the same transformation in less than four decades.

This rapid transition, driven by declining mortality and fertility rates, leaves Mexico with less time to address the needs of its growing elderly population compared to developed nations, Dr. Nava Bolaños warned. The percentage of the population aged 65 and over has risen sharply, from 3.7% in 1970 to 7.7% (9.9 million people) in 2020, and projections from the National Population Council estimate this figure will reach 18.2% (26.8 million) by 2050.

A humorous depiction of a bureaucrat holding a clipboard and checking off items.

How the Spanish Crown Controlled Death (and Expenses) in New Spain

2.0 Flash Experimental. Might not work as expected. In 17th-century New Spain, even death was regulated by the Spanish Crown. A 1696 Royal Decree dictated funeral ceremonies, mourning attire, and coffin design, particularly for the nobility, to control expenses and ensure solemnity.

Illustration of shrimp shells entering a glowing bioreactor, with cartoon lactic bacteria high-fiving.

Mexican Scientists Find Value in Shrimp Shells for Medical and Industrial Uses

Mexican researchers use lactic acid bacteria to extract chitosan, a valuable biopolymer, from shrimp shell waste. This eco-friendly method transforms a pollutant into a resource for medicine, agriculture, and even 3D-printed tissues.