What are unpaid carers, who are they and how often do they provide care?

Unpaid carers or informal carers – anyone who provides care, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support – play a key role in the health and care system. Here we unpack who is likely to be an unpaid carer, how often care is provided, who people care for and how care is funded. 

Who are unpaid carers?

According to the 2021 Census there are approximately 4.7 million unpaid carers in England and approximately 310,00 in Wales – 3.0 million male carers and 2.0 million female carers, a 2.4 percentage point decrease for males and a 2.5 percentage point decrease for females from the 2011 Census. Females are more likely to provide unpaid care in all age groups up to 75–79 years; however, from the age of 80 years onwards, males are more likely to provide unpaid care. The middle-age groups are when both males and females are most likely to provide unpaid care (20% of females aged 55–59 years and 13% of males 60–64 years).

It should be noted that other sources give different estimates of the numbers of unpaid carers, this could be due to different definitions of who an unpaid carer is. For example, the 2022/23 Family Resources Survey estimates that 8% of people in the UK are carers – this equates to 5.2 million carers in England. Of this 8%, females are more likely to be unpaid care providers, with 3.1 million female carers versus 2 million male carers.

How often is unpaid care provided?

The amount of time people spend providing unpaid care varies widely. At least 51% of all adult unpaid carers, provided care for up to 19 hours per week. There is a small difference between males and females in the number of hours of care provided, with males slightly more likely to provide less than 35 hours and females slightly more likely to provide more than 35 hours. Those in the older age groups are more likely to provide the highest hours of unpaid work – 19% of carers aged 65 years and over and 23% of carers aged 75 years and over, provided 50 hours or more of care, compared to 15% on average across carers of all ages.

Who is receiving care?

Parents are usually the main recipients of care with approximately 33% of all unpaid carers caring for a parent outside of their household and 8% caring for a parent who lives inside their household. Inside the household, carers are most likely to provide care for a partner (a spouse, civil partner, or cohabitee) with 21% of unpaid carers doing this, followed by 18% providing care for their child.

A survey of carers receiving support from local authorities showed that more than half of people receiving care are those with a physical disability (50.3%). A high percentage of those receiving care also have dementia, sight or hearing loss and long-standing illnesses.

How often is care received? 

There is a relationship between the frequency of care received (either paid or unpaid care) and the age of the recipient. Children aged 15 years and under tend to receive continuous care more than any other age group. The same data also shows females aged 65 years and over are more likely than males of the same age to receive care at least once a week. In contrast, males are more likely to receive care at least once a week than females at ages 24 years and below. 

How are carers supported? 

Unpaid carers do not get paid for the care they give, instead their household income comes from various sources such as wages and salaries (47%), universal credit (7%), pensions (24%) and other benefits (11%). People providing more than 35 hours tended to rely more on benefits (26%), state pension (15%) and universal credit (13%), than those who provide less than 35 hours, who rely more on wages and salaries. The difference in the income sources of male and female unpaid carers is minimal. The government also offers monetary support, to people who meet the eligibility criteria, through the Carer’s Allowance (up to £81.90 a week for people who care for someone at least 35 hours a week) and other financial benefits. However, this financial support might not be enough - a 2023 survey of adult unpaid carers showed that only 38% of respondents thought that carer’s allowance made a meaningful difference. Furthermore, the amount of support unpaid carers are receiving has fallen over time. For example, the number of carers receiving direct support (such as direct payments, services, and information and advice) from their local authority has fallen from 314,000 in 2021/22 to 295,000 in 2022/23.