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A Subjective Well-Being Index for Older Adults in Colombia: Estimation and Analysis Using Data from the 2023 National Quality of Life Survey (ENCV)

No. 102 (2026-04-13)
  • Sulma Marcela Cuervo-Ramírez
    Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0095-1159
  • Oscar Mauricio Acosta
    Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1194-1637
  • Karen Rosana Córdoba-Perozo
    Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3211-825X
  • J. Sebastián Ruiz-Santacruz
    Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9577-8111
https://doi.org/10.13043/DYS.102.2

Abstract

Driven by improved living conditions, scientific advances, and a sustained decline in fertility, Colombia is experi­encing rapid demographic ageing. This transition has occurred amid persistent socioeconomic inequalities that translate into disparities in older adults’ health, well-being, and material living conditions. Although objective indicators are indispensable for measuring these inequalities, subjective well-being provides a com­plementary lens by capturing self-perceptions of life satisfaction, emotional states, and sense of purpose— dimensions closely linked to health and quality of life in old age. However, existing evidence is largely con­centrated in high-income countries, leaving important gaps for contexts such as Colombia, where poverty and structural inequality shape ageing trajectories. Using microdata from the 2023 National Quality of Life Survey (ENCV), this study analyzes subjective well-being among Colombia’s population aged 60 and older. and develops a replicable composite indicator designed to monitor disparities, including gender, informing policies aimed at improving quality of life in old age.

Keywords: Well-being, population ageing, gender inequality, synthetic indicators, Latin America

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