As global populations age, this research by the WHO Centre for Health Development aims to identify and assess LTC programs in MICs and HICs, and discuss their financing strategies’ benefits and challenges.
As global populations age, governments are seeking sustainable and equitable funding for long-term care (LTC). This report examines LTC financing in 13 countries: five high-income (Australia, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Uruguay) and eight middle-income (China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, South Africa, Thailand). The study identifies three main objectives: classifying countries with established LTC, assessing their financing features, and discussing the benefits and challenges of various financing strategies.
Among high-income countries, Japan has the highest public LTC spending, while Singapore has the lowest. Middle-income countries spend minimally on LTC, with Costa Rica and Thailand spending just 0.05% and 0.01% of GDP, respectively. The financing approaches in middle-income countries range from mixed universal and means-tested programs to predominantly means-tested systems within social welfare frameworks.
The report highlights key considerations for LTC system design, offering insights for creating effective, sustainable LTC financing systems to support ageing populations.
