The elder care crisis by the numbers

Sooner or later, this touches every family.

1.1
billion People worldwide aged 60 and older, rising to 1.4 billion by 2030

World Health Organization, 2025

2 in 3 People who reach older age are likely to require longer-term support and care from others

World Health Organization, 2024

38.2
million Americans provide unpaid elder care

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

74% Of Canadians who care for older adults say their care responsibilities affect their health and well-being

Statistics Canada, 2024

An elder care crisis is happening right now

Around the world, families are quietly holding it all together, filling the gaps that no system was designed to cover. When a parent gets older, when a diagnosis arrives, when the everyday things start to slip, someone steps up. Usually without training, without support, and without anyone asking if they can handle it.

As the AARP describes it, family caregiving forms “the invisible backbone” of our communities, providing a critical foundation that sustains our health care systems and economies. Tens of millions of sons, daughters, spouses, and siblings are coordinating appointments, managing medications, handling finances, arranging transportation, navigating legal decisions, and carrying the emotional weight of watching as someone they love needs more help every day.

Most do it alongside jobs, children, and lives that don't pause because a parent needs help. Population aging, longer life expectancies, more complex care needs, and delayed fertility are putting increasing pressure on the people who provide care.

Every statistic below represents real families. Here's what the data tells us.

Growing Elderly Population

The world's population is aging faster than at any point in human history. The baby boom generation, the largest in history, is now crossing 80, the age when care needs climb steeply. In the U.S., the 65+ population reached 61.2 million in 2024 and is projected to hit 82 million by 2050. In Canada, 8.1 million people are now 65 or older, nearly one in five, and the number is climbing every year. Globally, the WHO warns that health and social systems around the world “are not yet prepared to meet the needs of older people.”

The U.S. 65+ population reached 61.2 million (18%). Older adults outnumber children in nearly half of all U.S. counties. As recently as 2020, only 3 states had more seniors than children; by 2024, it was 11. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025
The U.S. 65+ population is projected to grow from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050, a 42% increase. Population Reference Bureau, 2026
1.1 billion people worldwide are aged 60+, rising to 1.4 billion by 2030. The 80+ population is expected to triple to 426 million by 2050. World Health Organization, 2025
830 million people globally are 65+. The share of the world's population aged 65 and older has nearly doubled in 50 years, from 5.5% in 1974 to 10.3% in 2024. Our World in Data, 2024; UNFPA, 2024
In Canada, 8.1 million people are now 65 or older (19.5% of the population), and the number is growing 3.4% per year. Statistics Canada, 2025

Scale of Elder Caregiving

The number of family caregivers is surging. In the U.S., more than 63 million adults now provide ongoing care, a 45% increase in just one decade. In Canada, 6.4 million people care for dependent adults, and unpaid caregivers deliver 75% of all home care services. The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence warns that “a perfect storm is brewing.” The economic value of this unpaid labor is enormous: $600 billion per year in the U.S. alone, and $24–31 billion in Canada, projected to reach $128 billion by 2035.

Across OECD countries, demand for long-term care is set to increase by more than one-third by 2050. OECD, 2024
More than 63 million adults provide ongoing care for aging parents, spouses with chronic conditions, or adult children with disabilities and serious illnesses, a staggering 45% increase since 2015. Among them, approximately 16 million sandwich generation caregivers balance care for both adults and children simultaneously. AARP / National Alliance for Caregiving, 2025
38.2 million of those specifically provide unpaid eldercare. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
About 6.4 million (20%) Canadians reported caring for care-dependent adults, 74% report negative health impacts, and 30% say caregiving has disrupted their employment. Statistics Canada, 2024
75% of all home care in Canada is delivered by unpaid family caregivers, representing $24–31 billion in unpaid work annually, projected to reach $128 billion by 2035. National Seniors Council / CCCE, 2025
The value of unpaid caregiving in the U.S. is $600 billion per year, exceeding the entire paid home care industry. AARP, 2023

Cost of Formal Elder Care

When families can't provide care themselves, the alternatives are out of reach for most. A private nursing home room now costs nearly $128,000 per year in the U.S., and 56% of Americans turning 65 are expected to need long-term services and supports. Since 2019, long-term care costs have surged far faster than the incomes of older adults. In Canada, public care costs are projected to triple to $71 billion annually by 2050, even as declining birth rates mean fewer family members available to provide unpaid care.

A private nursing home room costs nearly $128,000 per year in the U.S. Long-term care costs have surged since 2019: nursing homes up 25%, home care and assisted living up nearly 50%, while income for those 65+ grew only 22%. AARP Public Policy Institute, 2024
56% of Americans turning 65 between 2021 and 2025 are expected to need long-term services and supports. AARP Public Policy Institute, 2024
30 hours per week of home care costs roughly as much as a typical older adult earns in a year (~$60,000). AARP Public Policy Institute, 2024
In Canada, the cost of public long-term care and home care is projected to triple from $22 billion to $71 billion annually by 2050. Due to declining birth rates, there will be 30% fewer family members and friends to provide unpaid care in 2050 than there are today. Those who are available would need to increase their efforts by 40% to keep up with care needs. National Institute on Ageing, Toronto Metropolitan University, 2023
Explore what aging could cost your family with the Cost of Ageing Calculator from Canada's National Institute on Ageing.

Economic & Employment Impact

Caregiving doesn't just cost time. It costs careers, savings, and financial security. Two-thirds of working caregivers of adults struggle to balance their jobs with caregiving, and the career damage is measurable: nearly a third have taken a leave of absence, more than a quarter have reduced their hours, and one in six have turned down a promotion or stopped working entirely. Meanwhile, 80% of employers show more understanding for childcare than adult caregiving, a blind spot that leaves millions of workers unsupported.

67% of working caregivers of adults in the U.S. have difficulty balancing their jobs with caregiving. Many have made drastic work changes: taking a leave of absence (32%), reducing hours or shifting to part-time (27%), or turning down a promotion (16%). Others have moved teams (16%), stopped working for a period (16%), or changed employer (13%). AARP / S&P Global, 2024
80% of respondents agree that companies are more understanding of childcare than adult caregiving. AARP / S&P Global, 2024
Caregivers of adults spend an average of 26% of their personal income, roughly $7,200 per year, out of pocket on caregiving. Nearly half have experienced at least one major financial setback. AARP, 2025
In Canada, 30% of caregivers for adults report that caregiving has affected their employment, and 25% report financial hardship. Statistics Canada, 2024

Caregiver Health Impact

The toll of caregiving isn't just emotional. It's physical. In the U.S., 44% of family caregivers of adults are in high-intensity care situations, and one in five reports fair or poor health directly tied to caregiving. In Canada, more than two in five family members providing unpaid care alongside publicly funded home care services are in distress. For dementia caregivers, the picture is even harder. 70% say coordinating care is stressful, and two-thirds can't find the resources and support they need. As the Alzheimer's Association puts it, “dementia health care is a complex maze.”

44% of family caregivers of adults report being in high-intensity care situations; one-third have been caregiving for 5+ years. One in five reports fair or poor health directly attributable to caregiving. AARP / National Alliance for Caregiving, 2025
70% of dementia caregivers say coordinating care is stressful; 53% say navigating healthcare is difficult; 66% can't find resources and support. Alzheimer's Association, 2024
The top stressors for dementia caregivers: cost (42%), coordinating with multiple doctors (36%), securing appointments (35%), getting respite (35%), and finding appropriate providers (32%). Alzheimer's Association, 2024
In Canada, more than 2 in 5 family members providing unpaid care alongside publicly funded home care services experience distress, defined as being unable to continue caring, or expressing feelings of anger or depression. Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2018–2024
Among Canadians who care only for adults, 74% report at least one negative impact on their physical health. Statistics Canada, 2024

Healthcare System Strain

The formal care system is not keeping up. The WHO reports that two-thirds of people who reach older age will need longer-term support and care, yet only one in four reporting countries have the resources to deliver coordinated care for older people. In the U.S., there are 4.6 million unfulfilled caregiving jobs projected by 2032, and more than 700,000 people are on Medicaid long-term care waitlists. In Ontario alone, more than 50,000 people are waiting for a long-term care bed, a number that has doubled in a decade. As MIT economist Jonathan Gruber warns: “This is coming for us.”

2 in 3 people who reach older age are likely to need longer-term support and care from others. Only 1 in 4 reporting countries “have enough financial and political resources to implement integrated care responsive to older people's needs,” and only 1 in 3 have the same for long-term care. World Health Organization, 2024
4.6 million unfulfilled caregiving jobs projected in the U.S. by 2032. Home care workers earn a median of $16.13 per hour. Harvard Public Health / CNBC, 2025; PHI, 2024
More than 700,000 Americans are on Medicaid long-term care waitlists. NPR, 2025
Across Canada, tens of thousands are on waitlists for long-term care. In Ontario alone, more than 50,000 are waiting, a number that has doubled in 10 years. Ontario Long-Term Care Association, 2025
The WHO warns that “evidence shows that care and support systems across the world are not yet prepared to meet the needs of older people.” World Health Organization, 2024

Dementia & Alzheimer's

Dementia is one of the defining challenges of an aging population. The number of Americans with Alzheimer's is expected to nearly double to 12.7 million by 2050. In Canada, nearly 772,000 people are living with dementia today, projected to reach 1.7 million by 2050. Globally, 57 million people have dementia, and families bear a staggering share of the burden: 70% of lifetime dementia care costs fall on families, and approximately 50% of global dementia care costs come from care provided by informal caregivers such as family members and close friends.

7.2 million Americans aged 65+ are living with Alzheimer's, 1 in 9 people in that age group. By 2050, this could reach 12.7 million. Alzheimer's Association, 2025
Nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid dementia care, more than 19 billion hours valued at $413.5 billion. Alzheimer's Association, 2025
The lifetime cost of care for one person with dementia is $405,262, and 70% is borne by families. Alzheimer's Association, 2025
In Canada, 771,939 people are living with dementia, projected to reach nearly 1 million by 2030 and 1.7 million by 2050. Family and friends provide more than 580 million hours of care per year. Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2025
Globally, 57 million people have dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Approximately 50% of global dementia care costs come from care provided by informal caregivers (family members and close friends), who provide on average 5 hours of care and supervision per day. World Health Organization, 2025

“It feels very much like the other shoe is about to drop, and we are absolutely not prepared for that.”
Family caregiver

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