Overview

• IBGE counts more than 32 million Brazilians aged 60 or over today, with projections that one in three people will be in this age group by 2050, surpassing the WHO threshold for an aged society.
• Mortality data from SIM show the suicide rate among people 70 and older at 11.8 per 100,000, nearly twice the national average.
• In the Federal District, over R$24 million was authorized for elderly policies from 2019 to August 2025 but execution stayed very low, while July data show roughly 180,000 seniors waiting nearly two years for specialist visits and about 200,000 waiting 2.21 years for tests.
• Reports to the National Human Rights Ombudsman in the Federal District rose from 1,739 in 2020 to 8,433 in 2024, with 7,480 violations recorded through September 2025 and elderly women comprising 63.7% of victims, most cases occurring at home.
• Experts urge a dedicated mental‑health policy for older people, expanded home‑care and geriatric capacity—citing an 89.1% geriatrician shortfall in the DF—while a Saquarema day‑center model reports 92% improved coordination, 85% less isolation and 65% fewer hospitalizations.