Key facts and figures about caring

The most recent Census 2021 found that there are 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK.

1.7 million people in the UK are providing 50 or more hours of care per week.

In England and Wales, the Census data shows that there has been an increase in the proportion of people providing 20-49 hours of care (1.9% in 2021 compared with 1.5% in 2011) and a slight increase in the proportion of people providing 50 or more hours (2.8% in 2021 compared with 2.7% in 2011).

Centre for Care research found that over the period 2010-2020, every year 4.3 million people became unpaid carers in the UK, and more than 4 million people left their unpaid caring roles. This shows that caring is dynamic, with people moving in and out of caring roles every year.

The Census found that in England and Wales, women are more likely to provide care than men. 59% of unpaid carers are female.

According to the Census 2021, the biggest proportion of people caring in England and Wales are from the 55-59 age group.

The Census in England and Wales also found that the older age groups provide the highest hours of unpaid care per week. For women, it was those aged between 75 and 79 who were most likely to provide 50 hours or more of care. For men, it was those aged between 85-89 who were most likely to provide 50 hours or more of care.

Research commissioned by Carers UK and conducted by WPI Economics found that 1.2 million unpaid carers live in poverty, and 400,000 live in deep poverty in the UK.

Carers UK’s most recent State of Caring 2024 survey found that 61% of unpaid carers are worried about living costs and managing in the future. A quarter of carers (27%) are struggling to make ends meet and 28% of carers are cutting back on essentials like food and heating.

Census data shows that around 3 million carers aged 16 and over in the UK are in paid employment, and 2.7 million carers are not in paid employment.

Carers UK research found that 2.6 million people have given up work to care – that’s 600 people a day.

WPI Economics research found that being out of work is the single strongest quantitative predictor of poverty for unpaid carers.

People providing unpaid care are more likely than those without caring responsibilities to be working part time. The Census 2021 in England and Wales found that 38% of carers in employment are working part time compared with 29% of non-carers in employment.

Carers UK’s most recent State of Caring 2024 survey found that 73% of carers in employment said they had found it stressful to juggle work and care, and 44% of carers in employment said they had reduced their working hours to care.

Centre for Care research found that the economic value of the support provided by unpaid carers in England and Wales is an estimated £162 billion per year, 29% more in real terms than 2011.

Centre for Care have also produced reports on the value of care in Northern Ireland (£5.8 billion), and in Scotland (£15.9 billion). In 2024, Centre for Care produced a new figure for the value of care in the whole of the UK of £184 billion. This is a 29.3% increase over the past decade (£119.4 billion in 2011).