The UK’s ageing population is placing growing pressure on families, with millions of people now providing unpaid care for older, disabled, or vulnerable loved ones.

These carers form a vital but often unseen part of the care system, helping with everything from everyday tasks and mobility to personal care, appointments, medication, and emotional support.

Opera Beds’ UK Longevity Report found that almost one in five people in England is now aged 65 and over, rising to more than one in three residents in the UK’s oldest areas. As demand for later-life care continues to rise, more families are taking on responsibilities that would otherwise fall to formal health and social care services.

But the pressure is not evenly shared, with some areas recording far higher levels of unpaid care than others.

To understand where this pressure is greatest, Opera Beds analysed unpaid caregiving data across 374 local authorities, looking at where care is most common, where people are providing the longest hours, how much unpaid care could cost to replace with paid home care, and how many carers are formally recognised through Carer’s Allowance.

Our research at a glance

• Unpaid carers provide an estimated 8.22 billion hours of care across the UK each year. Replacing those hours with paid home care would cost an estimated £193.6bn.
  

• Approximately 5.84 million people are recorded as providing unpaid care, with approximately 1.73 million providing 50+ hours of unpaid care per week.
  

• Birmingham’s unpaid care would cost an estimated £3.28bn a year to replace, the highest estimated unpaid care value of any UK local authority.
  

• Inverclyde is the UK’s unpaid care hotspot, with 13.84% of residents providing unpaid care.
  

• East Lindsey is under the greatest pressure, with 4.67% of residents providing 50+ hours of unpaid care a week.
  

• Tower Hamlets records the highest Carer’s Allowance entitlement rate in the England and Wales analysis, with 1,147 cases with entitlement per 1,000 unpaid carers providing 35+ hours a week.

Where are the UK’s unpaid carers?

Census definitions recognise unpaid care as help or support given to someone because of long-term physical or mental ill health, disability, or problems related to old age, without compensation. This may include supporting a family member, friend, or neighbour with practical tasks, mobility, appointments, personal care, or emotional support.

 

1. Inverclyde has the highest proportion of unpaid carers in the UK

Inverclyde ranks first, with 10,596 unpaid carers, equivalent to 13.84% of residents.

This means more than one in eight people in the area are recorded as providing unpaid care, making Inverclyde the UK’s unpaid care hotspot in the analysis.

The area faces several wider pressures that may help explain why unpaid care is so visible locally. Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership points to prominent levels of deprivation, poverty, and health challenges compared with other parts of Scotland, while the council’s housing strategy says the area’s ageing population will require housing, health, and social care interventions that help older people live independently.

2. North Lanarkshire ranks second, with 45,300 unpaid carers

North Lanarkshire ranks second, with 45,300 unpaid carers, representing 13.68% of residents.

While Inverclyde has the highest proportion of unpaid carers, North Lanarkshire shows the scale behind the ranking. Its total is more than four times Inverclyde’s 10,596 unpaid carers, meaning a slightly lower percentage still represents a much larger number of people providing care day to day.

North Lanarkshire Council recognises that it has a growing population of older people and must prioritise resources for those in greatest need. The council also has dedicated support for adult and young carers, including commissioned carer-focused organisations as part of its Carer Strategy 2024-2027.

3. Ards and North Down ranks third, with 13.67% of residents providing unpaid care

Ards and North Down ranks third in the UK, with 21,279 unpaid carers, equivalent to 13.67% of residents.

It is the highest-ranking Northern Irish local authority in the analysis, sitting just behind Inverclyde and North Lanarkshire for the proportion of residents providing unpaid care.

In the area, unpaid care appears to be a visible issue, with local services responding to care needs through dementia support and carer assessments.

Ards and North Down Borough Council launched seven dementia information hubs for people living with dementia and their carers. The South Eastern Trust also offers carer assessments that look at how caring affects physical and emotional health, family life, and the support someone may need to continue caring.

Scottish areas dominate the UK’s unpaid care hotspots

Scottish local authorities make up eight of the UK’s top 10 unpaid care hotspots.

Alongside Inverclyde and North Lanarkshire, the top 10 includes South Lanarkshire, Na h-Eileanan Siar, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire.

National carer data shows the pressure attached to these roles. The Scottish Government’s Carers Census Scotland 2023 to 2024 found that 72% of carers providing 50+ hours of care a week experienced an impact on their health, compared with 34% of those caring for up to 19 hours a week.

The areas where unpaid carers are under the greatest pressure

 

Looking at unpaid care by hours shows where caring responsibilities may be most intense. In these areas, a higher share of the local population is providing 50+ hours of unpaid care a week, which is more than the equivalent of a full-time working week.

East Lindsey has the highest rate of residents providing 50+ hours of unpaid care a week

East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, ranks first, with 6,386 unpaid carers providing 50+ hours of care a week, equivalent to 4.67% of the local population. This means East Lindsey has the highest share of residents in the UK providing unpaid care at the most intensive level recorded in the analysis.

East Lindsey’s ranking sits alongside wider pressures around ageing and deprivation. Lincolnshire’s Health Intelligence Hub says East Lindsey has the highest proportion of unpaid carers in the county, linking this with deprivation and an older age profile in the east of Lincolnshire.

Welsh local authorities account for six of the top 10 areas under the greatest caregiving pressure

Welsh local authorities make up six of the top 10 areas where the highest share of residents provide 50+ hours of unpaid care a week.

These include Neath Port Talbot, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Carmarthenshire.

What makes the Welsh pattern especially notable is how closely it overlaps with wider deprivation pressures. The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025 found that Neath Port Talbot, Blaenau Gwent, and Merthyr Tydfil had among the highest shares of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 50% in Wales, and all three also appear in the top 10 for residents providing 50+ hours of unpaid care a week.

This suggests the most intensive unpaid care is not only concentrated geographically, but may also be falling heavily in communities where health, income, and access to support pressures are already more visible.

In several areas, more than one in three unpaid carers provide 50+ hours of care each week

The population figures show where intensive unpaid care is most concentrated, but the pressure becomes even clearer when looking at carers themselves.

In every area in the top 10, more than one in three unpaid carers are providing 50+ hours of care a week.

East Lindsey has the highest share, with 39.35% of unpaid carers providing 50+ hours weekly. Blaenau Gwent follows at 38.50%, while Merthyr Tydfil ranks third on this measure at 38.23%.

At this level, unpaid care is no longer occasional support and is a part of everyday life.

Replacing unpaid care across the UK could cost an estimated £193.6bn

 

Unpaid care is often described in personal terms, but the scale of the contribution is also economic. Across the local authorities analysed, unpaid carers provide an estimated 8.22 billion hours of care annually.

If those hours were replaced with externally provided paid home care, the estimated replacement cost would be £193.6bn. This was calculated using the £23.56 average hourly cost of externally provided home care from the Adult Social Care Finance Report.

Replacing Birmingham’s unpaid care with paid care would cost nearly £3.3 billion a year

Birmingham records the highest estimated annual replacement value of unpaid care in the UK. The city’s unpaid carers provide an estimated 139.4 million hours of care annually, which would cost an estimated £3.28 billion to replace with paid home care.

Birmingham’s ranking isn’t just a population-size story. The council describes Birmingham as one of Europe’s youngest cities, yet the city still records the UK’s highest estimated cost of replacing unpaid care.

This makes Birmingham stand out in the analysis: even in a city known for its young population, unpaid care represents a major hidden contribution to everyday support across families, households, and communities.

Birmingham’s Carers Partnership Strategy has also set out an ambition for Birmingham to become a ‘Carer Friendly City’, indicating that unpaid care is already being treated as a major local issue.

Glasgow City and Leeds both exceed £2 billion

Glasgow City ranks second, with an estimated 95.8m annual unpaid care hours and an estimated replacement value of £2.26bn. Leeds ranks third, with 85.8m annual unpaid care hours and an estimated replacement value of £2.02bn.

This means the three highest-ranking areas are all major cities, where large populations can translate into very high total volumes of unpaid care.

Large cities lead, but County Durham and Cornwall also rank in the top five

The highest estimated unpaid care values are mostly found in major cities, where larger populations mean more people providing care.

But County Durham and Cornwall show this is not only a city issue. Both rank in the top five, despite being large areas made up of smaller towns, villages, and rural communities.

In places like these, unpaid care can be especially important because support may not always be nearby. Family members may be helping older or vulnerable loved ones stay at home, get to appointments, manage daily routines, or avoid needing more formal care.

County Durham ranks fourth, with 81.0m annual unpaid care hours and an estimated replacement value of £1.91bn. Cornwall follows in fifth, with 78.5m annual unpaid care hours and an estimated replacement value of £1.85bn.

Where unpaid carers are most likely to receive Carer’s Allowance entitlement

Carer’s Allowance gives one view of where unpaid carers are being formally recognised through the benefits system.

For this section, we looked at how many people in each local authority have Carer’s Allowance entitlement, compared with how many Census respondents said they provide 35+ hours of unpaid care a week.

This part of the analysis covers England and Wales only, so these findings should not be treated as UK-wide.

 

Note: Carer’s Allowance is for people who provide at least 35 hours of care a week. For this analysis, the rate compares people entitled to Carer’s Allowance with Census respondents providing 35+ hours of unpaid care each week.

Tower Hamlets has the highest Carer’s Allowance entitlement rate

Tower Hamlets ranks first, with 1,147 people entitled to Carer’s Allowance, also known as cases with entitlement, per 1,000 unpaid carers providing 35+ hours a week.

The figure means Carer’s Allowance entitlement in Tower Hamlets is higher than the number of Census respondents recorded as providing 35+ hours of unpaid care. This can happen because the two datasets measure different things: Census data captures people’s self-reported unpaid care at one point in time, while Carer’s Allowance entitlement records benefit cases.

This makes Tower Hamlets stand out as the area where unpaid carers are most visible in the benefits system, relative to the local population providing substantial unpaid care. It does not mean every unpaid carer receives Carer’s Allowance, or that the data captures all local support.

Bradford ranks second for Carer’s Allowance entitlement

Bradford ranks second, with 1,047 cases with entitlement per 1,000 unpaid carers providing 35+ hours a week.

It also records the highest total number of cases in the top five, with 21,591 cases with entitlement. This makes Bradford stand out in two ways: it ranks highly by rate, while also representing a large number of carers formally recognised through Carer’s Allowance.

This is important because Carer’s Allowance is one of the clearest ways unpaid care shows up in the benefits system. In Bradford, the data suggests formal recognition is happening at both a high rate and a large scale.

What Carer’s Allowance entitlement rates can and cannot tell us

This section looks at where unpaid carers are most visible in the benefits system.

Carer’s Allowance entitlement data does not show every unpaid carer. It also does not prove that carers in lower-ranking areas have been rejected or denied support.

Some carers may not appear in the data because they have not applied, earn above the threshold, provide fewer than 35 hours of care a week, or care for someone who does not receive a qualifying disability benefit.

So, these figures are best read as a measure of formal benefit recognition. They help show where Carer’s Allowance entitlement is higher or lower compared with the number of people providing substantial unpaid care.

What the findings reveal about the UK’s unpaid care system

The findings show how deeply Britain and Northern Ireland rely on unpaid carers.

1. Unpaid care is widespread

Across the local authorities analysed, millions of people are providing care for family members, friends or neighbours, often alongside work, childcare, household responsibilities and their own health needs.

2. The pressure is not evenly spread

Some areas have especially high proportions of residents providing unpaid care, while others stand out for the intensity of care being given, with thousands of people providing 50+ hours of unpaid care a week.

3. The economic contribution is huge

Replacing the care provided by families and informal carers with paid home care could cost an estimated £193.6bn, underscoring the scale of support that often happens quietly at home.

4. Formal recognition does not capture the full picture

The Carer’s Allowance findings show where carers are most visible in the benefits system, but many people providing unpaid care may not apply, may not meet the criteria, or may not even recognise themselves as carers.

Together, the findings point to the same issue: unpaid carers are carrying a large part of the UK’s care needs, but their role is not always visible, measured, or supported in the same way as formal care.

Methodology

Opera Beds has designed and supplied home hospital beds, mattresses, and mobility-support products for over 20 years, combining clinical functionality with designs that feel at home. Our aim is to support comfort, mobility, and independence for people living with changing health and care needs.

To understand where unpaid care is most visible across the UK, Opera Beds analysed Census data, Carer’s Allowance entitlement data and estimated care replacement costs across local authorities.

The research looked at where unpaid care is most common, where people are providing the longest hours, how much unpaid care could cost to replace with externally provided home care, and where carers are formally recognised through Carer’s Allowance.

Unpaid carers by area

We used Census sources to find the number and proportion of residents providing unpaid care in each local authority, including the number of hours of care provided each week.

For England and Wales, unpaid care data was taken from the ONS Census 2021 unpaid care dataset. For Scotland, data was taken from Scotland’s Census 2022 health, disability and unpaid care release, using Table 6. For Northern Ireland, data was taken from the NISRA Census 2021 main statistics health, disability and unpaid care tables, using table MS-D17.

Areas under the greatest caregiving pressure

We used the same Census data to identify the proportion of people providing 50 or more hours of unpaid care per week in each local authority.

This was used to show where intensive unpaid care is most concentrated as a share of the local population.

Carer’s Allowance entitlement

We used DWP Stat-Xplore to find Carer’s Allowance cases with entitlement in each local authority.

We then calculated Carer’s Allowance cases with entitlement per 1,000 Census respondents providing 35 or more hours of unpaid care per week in each local authority.

This analysis covers England and Wales only, so these findings should not be treated as UK-wide.

A lower rate does not necessarily mean carers are being rejected or denied support. It may reflect a range of factors, including carers not applying, not meeting the eligibility criteria, earning above the threshold, caring for fewer than 35 hours per week, or caring for someone who does not receive a qualifying disability benefit.

The figures provide an indication of where there may be a gap between the wider unpaid carer population and those formally recognised through the benefits system.

Estimated economic value of unpaid care

We calculated the estimated replacement value of unpaid care by multiplying total estimated unpaid care hours by the £23.56 average hourly cost of externally provided home care, sourced from the Adult Social Care Finance Report.

This estimates how much it would cost to replace unpaid care with paid care.

Because Census data records unpaid care in weekly hour bands rather than exact hours, we estimated weekly unpaid care hours by assigning a representative number of hours to each Census care-hours band:

• 10 hours for the 1–19-hour category

• 35 hours for the 20–49-hour category

• 50 hours for the open-ended 50-hours-or-more category

Estimated weekly hours were then multiplied by 52 and by the £23.56 average hourly cost of externally provided home care.

The estimated replacement value should be read as an estimate, not a definitive cost.