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.

The Carers UK State of Caring 2025 survey found that nearly half (49%) of carers said they have cut back on essentials such as food, heating, clothing and transport costs, while a third of carers (32%) have taken out a loan from the bank, used credit cards, or used a bank account overdraft.

Census data shows that nearly 3 million carers aged 16 and over in the UK are in paid employment. Over 1 million working-age 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.

The Carers UK State of Caring 2025 survey found that 69% of carers who are employees said they haven’t focused on their career as much as they’d like, and 61% said caring has affected the type of employment they’ve taken on. A fifth (21%) said they had taken on a lower paid or more junior role that fitted better with their caring responsibilities.

Centre for Care research found that the economic value of the support provided by unpaid carers in the UK is now £184 billion a year. This research builds on three separate reports that were part of the Centre for Care’s Valuing Carers series. These reports highlighted the value of care in England and Wales (£162 billion), Northern Ireland (£5.8 billion), and Scotland (£15.9 billion). This new research shows there has been a huge increase in the value of unpaid care in the UK – up by £64.9 billion since 2011 – a 29% increase. This increase is because families are providing more hours of care than ever before in all four nations.