‘In parks you only see dogs, never children’: can Bogotá adapt to its ageing population?
With a lower fertility rate than Tokyo and the number of pensioners rapidly rising, Colombia’s capital is being forced to change the way it thinks about growing old
TL;DR
- Bogotá faces a growing number of homeless elderly people, estimated at 1,100, due to falling birthrates and family support structures.
- The city is integrating social care and health systems to better support its aging population, with nearly 16% of residents over 60.
- Colombia's old-age dependency ratio is projected to double by 2070, impacting public pension and healthcare funding.
- Bogotá's total fertility rate is exceptionally low (0.82 in 2025), significantly below the replacement rate.
- The city is redeveloping the historic San Juan de Dios hospital complex into an intergenerational healthcare and community hub.
- Initiatives like 'care blocks' and 'prescribing culture' aim to reduce social isolation and support caregivers.
- Efforts to retrain and hire older workers are being implemented, including bonuses for companies that hire individuals over 50.
- Economic challenges, including low GDP per capita and high inequality, make supporting a growing pensioned population difficult, with low pension coverage for men and women.