Unpaid care: the realities of caring in the UK

State support for carers is generally targeted at those with lower incomes, so is available to only a minority of people providing unpaid care in the UK. This includes the income-tested Carer’s Allowance from the Department of Work and Pensions and support from local government (eg direct financial payments, help with breaks, or advice). 1.4 million people claimed the Carer’s Allowance in August 2024 and just over 300,000 people received local authority support in 2023/24. Not all unpaid carers will need state support, but this can change for people over time. Our recent polling found a third (37%) of the UK public feels confident they could find out what help is available from the government if they needed support due to caring responsibilities. This varies significantly by ethnicity, with 26% of people from minority ethnic backgrounds saying they feel confident, compared with 40% of those from White ethnic backgrounds.

The Casey Commission into adult social care in England launched in April 2025 and is due to publish its initial report in 2026. This will make recommendations that ‘give people who draw on care, and their families and carers, more power in the system’. Labour’s 10-Year Health Plan also includes some limited measures to improve the support offered by the NHS to carers – for example, by capturing ‘information about unpaid carers systematically, to ensure their responsibilities are recognised and supported’. 

Social care policy is devolved and national policy to support unpaid carers differs across the four UK nations. Scotland and Wales currently have national carers’ strategies. England and Northern Ireland last published national strategies in 2008 and 2006, respectively. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland offer some additional support, such as the Carer’s Allowance Supplement in Scotland, paid on top of UK Carer’s Allowance since 2018. 

To help understand the impact of being an unpaid carer, we have looked at the number of hours of care typically provided each week. Generally, we look at three groups of carers: those providing less than 20 hours a week; those caring for between 21 and 34 hours; and those caring for 35 hours or more. Along with other criteria, providing at least 35 hours of care a week is required for accessing Carer’s Allowance, the main national support for carers. As Figure 1 shows, almost two-thirds (61%) of carers provided less than 20 hours of unpaid care a week – more than a fifth (22%) provided 35 or more hours of unpaid care. There was a slight increase in the proportion of unpaid carers who provided 35 or more hours of care since 2018–20. People caring for fewer hours each week may still carry out emotionally and physically demanding tasks, or individuals may support someone for a few hours a week but always be on alert. 

Carer’s Allowance is available to those who provide more than 35 hours of unpaid care a week (not applicable to Scotland). However, eligibility for this allowance depends on household income and receipt of other benefits, such as the state pension. In 2023–25, 41% of carers who cared for more than 35 hours per week reported receiving Carer’s Allowance. It is difficult to know what proportion of all carers within the survey who provided 35+ hours of care were eligible for this allowance. 

The location where care was provided and the number of hours of care were related, as shown in Figure 2. In 2024, almost two-thirds of people caring for fewer hours did so outside the home, while those caring for many hours were more likely to provide support in their own home. Caring outside the home may limit the extent to which caring responsibilities can be integrated into everyday routines, making the time spent caring more concentrated and task focused. However, caring inside the home may remove the separation between carers and those they support, often resulting in carers feeling ‘always on’.  

Who provides unpaid care?

Understanding who provides unpaid care is essential for designing support systems that reflect the realities of carers’ lives. 

The latest Understanding Society data shows that nearly 1 in 5 women (18%) provided unpaid care compared with 1 in 7 (14%) men. This represented a 29% higher likelihood that women provide unpaid care, aligning with previous work by Carers UK highlighting the gender imbalance. Further, long-standing gendered expectations often mean women providing unpaid care are less likely to identify as unpaid carers. This may mean the true proportion of women providing unpaid care is higher than recorded through surveys, such as Understanding Society. As hours spent caring increased, we saw a widening of this gender inequality. Women were almost twice as likely as men (4.6% compared with 2.4%) to provide 35 hours or more of unpaid care. 

Caring responsibilities vary significantly over the life course. Nearly 1 in 4 (24%) adults aged 50 to 64 years old provide at least some unpaid care. Older adults (65+) also formed a significant proportion – approximately 1 in 7 (16%) provided care. Many of those who provide unpaid care in midlife will be in the ‘sandwich generation’: people who provide care for older relatives as well as dependent children and grandchildren at the same time. The ONS estimates there are 1.4 million ‘sandwich carers’ aged between 16 and 64 years old, with around half (51%) aged between 45 and 64 years old. This creates additional pressure on carers’ time and wellbeing by having to manage different caring priorities at the same time. 

There was a small range in the proportion of adults who provided unpaid care across ethnic groups: White (17%), Mixed (16%), Black or Black British (14%), Asian or Asian British (13%) and any other ethnic background (10%). There was no statistically significant difference between any of these groups. This range may reflect cultural views around family roles and community-led care, but they may also indicate barriers to accessing formal support, both of which can affect people identifying as carers. Additionally, this may reflect differences in levels of need for familial unpaid caring, as the age distribution across ethnic groups differs. Previous research suggests that minority ethnic groups may face language barriers, lower awareness of support on offer and lower satisfaction with available services, all of which can influence whether individuals recognise and report their activities as unpaid care.  

Support for unpaid carers differs across the UK as responsibility for commissioning and delivering services sits at a local level. This support may include a personal budget, respite care, and information and advice. Looking across all England regions and UK nations, the proportion of adult unpaid carers was broadly similar, ranging from 15% to 21%. Carers’ needs assessments are carried out by local authorities (or Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland). Research by the Learning and Work Institute for the Commission for Healthier Working Lives showed there are differences in eligibility criteria and waiting times between regions for these assessments.

Figure 4 shows individuals across all types of economic activity status provided unpaid care. 1 in 5 (21%) adults who were long-term sick or disabled provided unpaid care. 17% of retired adults were unpaid carers and 15% of those employed full or part time were balancing employment with caring. The higher proportion of those providing care who were not working due to long-term sickness or being disabled, compared with those who were employed, is of particular concern. This reflects the overlap between caring responsibilities and existing health challenges within this group, both of which are associated with barriers to employment. 

Among adults of working age (18 to 66 years old) there were an estimated 7 million unpaid carers in 2023–25. An estimated 59% of the working-age population who provided unpaid care were also in employment, equivalent to 4.1 million people. This was lower than the employment rate of the non-caring working-age population, at 67% according to this survey (which is lower than the official employment rate estimate for 16–64 years old at 75%). The employment rate among unpaid carers varied by hours spent caring. 68% of carers who provided less than 20 hours of care were in employment, compared with only 35% of carers who provided 35 hours or more of care. There has been limited change in the proportion of unpaid carers in employment since 2019. 

Among those employed who provided unpaid care, 64% worked full time. This was similar to the rate seen for those not providing unpaid care who were in employment, where 69% worked full time. Of the carers who provided less than 20 hours of care, 47% worked full time. This was much lower (16%) for carers who provided more than 35 hours of care.

Many carers had long-standing health problems. In 2023–25, 43% of carers who provided less than 20 hours of care reported a long-term health condition or being disabled, rising to 53% of carers who provided 35 hours or more of care. In contrast, 35% of those not providing unpaid care reported a long-term health condition or being disabled. 

The higher proportion of long-term conditions among the overall population of unpaid carers will partly result from unpaid carers’ older average age. However, Figure 5 shows there was also higher prevalence of long-term health problems and being disabled among younger unpaid carers, compared with those of the same age group not providing unpaid care. This highlights the need for policies that support carers’ health and wellbeing, irrespective of whether this is related to their caring responsibilities or ability to provide care.