Unpaid carers in the UK: key facts and statistics

About 5.0 million people in England and Wales gave unpaid care in 2021, according to the Census, and Carers UK puts the UK total at 5.8 million. Around 1.5 million of the census total gave 50 hours or more a week. Unpaid carers can ask for a free assessment, and some qualify for Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week.

At a glance

• The 2021 Census counted an estimated 5.0 million unpaid carers aged 5 and over in England and Wales, or an age-standardised 9.0% of that population.
• About 1.5 million of them provided 50 or more hours of care a week.
• Carers UK estimates 5.8 million carers across the UK and values their care at £184 billion a year.
• Carer’s Allowance is £86.45 a week, with a 35-hour minimum and a £204 weekly earnings limit.
• Carers can ask for a free carer’s assessment, and employees can take up to one week of unpaid carer’s leave a year.

How many unpaid carers are there?

There are two figures in common use, and they measure different things. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported from Census 2021 that an estimated 5.0 million usual residents aged 5 and over in England and Wales provided unpaid care. Census 2021 asked whether people looked after, or gave any help or support to, anyone because of a long-term physical or mental health condition, illness or problems related to old age. Paid work was excluded.

Carers UK works from the same census figure and refers to 5.8 million carers across the UK, which brings in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is the larger number because it covers the whole country, not because the census was wrong. The ONS adds that Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus pandemic, which may have affected how people answered. Some people never think of themselves as carers, so any count is likely to miss some of them.

How much care do they provide?

The census asked how many hours a week people gave, and the answers were spread across the full range.

The ONS found that the share giving any care fell between 2011 and 2021, from 11.4% to 9.0% (age-standardised), but that more of those who care now give longer hours. The proportion giving 20 to 49 hours rose from 1.5% to 1.9%, and the proportion giving 50 or more hours edged up from 2.7% to 2.8%. Wales had a higher share of carers than England: 10.5% against 8.9%.

What does caring cost carers?

Carers UK estimates that unpaid care is worth £184 billion a year. It also cites research it commissioned from WPI Economics, which found 1.2 million unpaid carers in poverty. That is a Carers UK figure, not an official statistic.

Carers UK’s State of Caring 2025 survey asked 10,539 carers about their lives. Carers UK states that it is not a representative survey, because it was promoted to its own members and supporters. Even so, it shows what many carers report: 49% said they had cut back on essentials such as food, heating, clothing and transport, 62% were regularly spending their own money on caring costs, and 42% said their physical health had suffered. Treat these as the experience of the carers who responded, not as national averages.

What help can unpaid carers claim?

Because Carer’s Allowance has a weekly earnings limit, a rise in pay can cost a carer the whole payment. Check the details in our guide to the earnings limit before changing hours. In Scotland, Carer Support Payment replaces Carer’s Allowance, and each nation has its own social care system and carers legislation.

Who is most likely to be a carer, and where?

Caring is not evenly spread. In England, the ONS found the North East had the largest share of people giving any unpaid care (10.1%) and London the smallest (7.8%). Among local authorities in England and Wales, Neath Port Talbot had the highest share of people providing 50 or more hours a week in Wales (4.5%), and Knowsley the highest in England (4.3%). The ONS notes that some Welsh areas with larger shares of carers also have larger shares of people reporting bad health or disability.

The ONS also reports that in the Census, people most often gave either the lowest amount of care (9 hours or less) or the highest (50 or more hours). Many carers also hold jobs, raise children or have their own health problems. Our guides on sandwich carers and juggling work and caring look at those pressures.

What should carers do first?

1. Contact the council’s adult social care team and ask for a carer’s assessment, separate from any assessment for the person you care for.
2. Check which benefits you and the person you care for can claim, starting with the Attendance Allowance checker if they are over State Pension age.
3. Ask about breaks. See respite care explained and carers grants and breaks.
4. Read being a carer for a family member for a wider overview.

Frequently asked questions

How many unpaid carers are there in the UK?

Carers UK estimates 5.8 million across the UK. The ONS Census 2021 counted an estimated 5.0 million in England and Wales alone, from people aged 5 and over. The totals differ because the geography is different.

How many people care for 50 hours or more a week?

The ONS estimated about 1.5 million people in England and Wales gave 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week in 2021. That is roughly three in ten of all the people who said they gave any unpaid care.

What is the economic value of unpaid care?

Carers UK values unpaid care in the UK at £184 billion a year, which it compares with Government spending on the NHS. It is a modelled estimate, not a figure from official accounts.

Is Carer’s Allowance paid to all unpaid carers?

No. You need to provide 35 hours of care a week, earn £204 a week or less after tax and expenses, and care for someone who gets a qualifying disability benefit. Many carers do not meet these tests.

Can children and young people be unpaid carers?

Yes. The census counted people aged 5 and over. Young carers have specific rights to an assessment, and our guide to young carers and carer’s leave explains more.

Where to get help next

If you are looking after a relative and wondering about a care home or home care, use the funding checker to see what help with fees is possible, or find care near you. For support, read bereavement support for carers and discounts for carers.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Unpaid care, England and Wales: Census 2021
• Carers UK: Why we’re here
• Carers UK: State of Caring survey
• GOV.UK: Carer’s Allowance
• NHS: Carer’s assessments

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.