POPULATION AGING AND SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES: CHALLENGES TO LONG-TERM CARE AND LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES FOR THE ELDERLY IN BRAZIL

With the objective of analyzing how population aging in Brazil reshapes the demand for Long-Term Care Institutions for Older Adults (Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos – ILPIs) and imposes new challenges on systems of long-term protection and care, this article is methodologically classified as a scoping review with a qualitative and theoretical-analytical approach, articulated with documentary research and guided by a critical socio-structural perspective. The results indicate that the country is undergoing an accelerated demographic transition: the proportion of individuals aged 65 years or older increased from 3.2% in 1970 to 10.9% in 2022, while the aging index rose from 7.7% to 55.1%. Projections suggest that, from 2029 onward, the number of older adults will surpass that of children, evidencing the consolidation of population aging. However, this process occurs in a profoundly unequal manner across socioeconomic strata: middle- and high-income households present aging indices above 200%, whereas groups living in extreme poverty do not reach 20%, revealing distinct trajectories in terms of health, labor participation, life expectancy, and family caregiving capacity. Furthermore, the low participation of older adults in the labor force—accounting for 19.7% of the working-age population but only 7.8% of the economically active population—heightens the risks of dependence and premature institutionalization.