Long-term care (LTC) expenditure has risen over the past few decades in most OECD countries and is expected to rise further in the coming years due mainly to population ageing and a growing number of people requiring health and social services on an ongoing basis. LTC cuts across the domains of both health and social care. The component of LTC that is considered under the health boundary for international comparisons comprises continuous episodes of care with a dominant characteristic related to medical or personal care (i.e. support for basic activities of daily living such as eating, dressing and washing). In contrast, spending on LTC services or programmes associated with helping people with disabilities to live as independently as possible (i.e. support for residential services or help with instrumental activities of dailing living, such as preparing meals or managing personal finances) are considered outside the scope of medical or personal care and represent the social component of LTC spending.