Trends in Dementia Prevalence Across Latin America and the Caribbean

Reliable estimates of dementia prevalence trends are essential for health policy planning in a region undergoing rapid population aging, yet it has been unclear whether Latin America and the Caribbean follow the declining patterns reported in high-income countries.

This cross-sectional, population-based study draws on the 10/66 Dementia Research Group’s catchment areas in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico, surveyed at two timepoints (2003–2006 and 2016–2020). Community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older were identified through exhaustive door-to-door enumeration, yielding an analytic sample of 16,950 participants (10,374 in wave 1; 6,576 in wave 2; mean age 76.0 years; 63.7% women). Dementia was ascertained with the 10/66 diagnostic algorithm, and adjusted prevalence differences were estimated via Poisson regression.

Pooled crude prevalence increased from 10.6% (95% CI, 10.0%–11.2%) to 16.9% (95% CI, 15.9%–17.8%). After age and sex standardization, prevalence remained stable in Cuba and the Dominican Republic but increased substantially in Mexico (4.9 percentage points), Peru (4.1 pp), and Puerto Rico (5.0 pp). Dementia prevalence has therefore risen across several Latin American sites, contrasting with declines observed in high-income countries and underscoring the need for regional risk-reduction strategies.