Carer Facts

“A Carer is someone who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend, neighbour, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability”

• Every day another 5.5 thousand people on average take on a caring responsibility.
• One in eight adults are carers – that’s around six million people.
• There are 5.2 million carers in England & Wales.
• Carers save the economy £87 billion per year, an average of £15,000 per carer.
• Over 3 million people juggle care with work.
• The main carer’s benefit is £48.65 for a minimum of 35 hours, equivalent to £1.39 per hour.
• 1.25 million people provide over 50 hours of care per week.
• People providing high levels of care are twice as likely to be permanently sick or disabled.
• Over 1 million people care for more than one person.
• 58% of carers are women and 42% are men.
• By 2037 the number of carers could have increased to 9 million.
• Every year over 2 million people become carers.
• 6 million carers in UK.
• 3 million carers are thought to combine work and care.
• 1.9 million care for more than 20 hours a week.
• 80% of carers are of working age.
• 1.3 million carers are over 65.
• There are 2 million new carers a year.
• 3 in 5 people will at some point in their lives become a carer.

There are currently 175,000 young carers (under 18).