Life stages in Paraguay

Paraguayan law defines a child as a person from conception to age 13 and an adolescent as someone aged 14 to 17 under Ley 2169. Full legal capacity generally begins at 18, except where a court has declared incapacity. The Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) uses ages 15 to 29 for youth statistics, while youth employment rules under Ley 4951 generally cover ages 18 to 29. Ley 1885 recognizes people aged 60 and over as older adults. The Universal Pension under Ley 7322 generally starts at 65, with access from 60 for people with severe disabilities and from 55 for Indigenous people. Paraguay has no single law or portal covering every life stage. Responsibilities are divided among the Ministerio de la Niñez y la Adolescencia (MINNA), municipal Consejerías Municipales por los Derechos del Niño, la Niña y el Adolescente (CODENI), the Ministerio Público, the Defensoría del Pueblo, the Secretaría Nacional de la Juventud (SNJ), the Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Seguridad Social (MTESS), the Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS), the Ministerio de Desarrollo Social (MDS), the Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social (MSPBS), the Instituto de Bienestar Social (IBS), the Secretaría Nacional por los Derechos Humanos de las Personas con Discapacidad (SENADIS), municipalities and gobernaciones. Their responsibilities differ by age, program, legal status and location. In 2025, people under 15 represented about 25.1% of Paraguay's population, people aged 15 to 64 about 66.4%, and people aged 65 and over about 8.6%. The share aged 65 and over is projected to reach 16.4% by 2050. In 2024, approximately 772,988 people aged 60 and over lived in Paraguay, or about 13% of the population. This demographic change increases the practical relevance of older-age income, accessibility and care arrangements. Child protection focuses on the child's best interests and protection from abandonment, malnutrition, violence, abuse and exploitation. A suspected rights violation should be reported without delay to CODENI, the Ministerio Público or the Defensoría del Pueblo. Fono Ayuda 147, operated by MINNA, is free nationwide and available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It provides immediate multidisciplinary triage and referral. Ley 6486/2020 prioritizes keeping children safely within their family, then considers extended family and accredited foster families. Residential shelter is an exceptional measure, and the court must hear the child within six hours in the relevant protection procedure. Youth access to public opportunities is program-specific and is not automatic. República Joven can include scholarships, training, employment, credit and volunteering. Beca Juventud and government scholarship calls commonly require an age between 18 and 29, completion of bachillerato and an identity document, but each call sets its own conditions. Ley 4951 provides for work scholarships linked to a first formal job and learning; some programs target people with disabilities of at least 33%, young people from poor households or young parents. EmpleaPy Joven, established through Decreto 3822/2025, supports formal first employment for eight to twelve months, contributes up to 18% to IPS and requires at least 60 hours of training. Its planned reach is 10,000 places, subject to calls, territorial rules and quotas. Adults aged 18 and over generally move from the child-protection system into the ordinary civil, labor and social-security systems. The research does not establish a general benefit dedicated solely to adulthood. Access to employment protection, IPS coverage, social assistance or other support therefore depends on the relevant system and the person's work, income, disability, family or crisis situation. Ley 1885 protects the dignity and non-discrimination of older adults and gives priority to their access to care, transport, housing, education and employment. Families have a legal duty to assist and protect older relatives. An older person seeking maintenance can bring a claim before a Juzgado de Paz. Under Ley 7322, the Universal Pension is at least 25% of the legal minimum wage and is non-repayable, non-transferable and protected from seizure. Paraguayan citizens by birth or naturalization generally need five years of residence; foreign nationals generally need 30 years of permanent residence. Exclusions include receiving a public or private salary, a pension or retirement payment, contributing to IPS, paying income tax or owning more than 30 cattle. MDS verification has a stated target of 60 days, with implementation staged according to age and budget. The PAAM portal supports registration and status checks. People aged 65 and over also have access to half-fare public transport and accessibility-related inclusion measures. Paraguay has no direct equivalent of a nationwide care-grade assessment combined with mandatory long-term-care insurance. Care is fragmented and mainly informal. In the 2024 EDAC-PY study for the Región Oriental, 30.9% of the population, about 1,810,875 people, had dependency; 64.3% of households were affected, 90.4% of care was provided by family members or relatives, and women in the same household provided 78.1% of that family care. People aged 60 and over represented 22.2% of dependent people. The PNCUPA-2030 policy and the first 2025–2030 plan are being developed to expand home care, day centers, residential services, training, regulation and data collection. Unidades de Salud de la Familia (USF) provide community-based and home-based care for people of all ages. IBS and MSPBS facilities serve vulnerable people or people at social risk; entry is voluntary, and informed consent is required when the person has decision-making capacity. Public and private facilities covered by Ley 5537 require registration, supervision and authorization. Costs depend on the provider or program, and no general free care entitlement is established. Crises involving children and adolescents can also be referred through DRI-CALLE, DRI-RED, DRI-ADICCIONES, CODENI, the Ministerio Público, the Defensoría del Pueblo or the police. Safety and the child's best interests guide the response. Abandonment or the absence of a safe family can lead to protective placement under Ley 6486. Vulnerable older people who are abandoned or have no family support may access public or private residential services and intermediate social services under Ley 1885. The research does not establish one general crisis service for adults solely because they are adults.