If you are a journalist who would like to speak to someone about our work or about an issue relating to carers or young carers please contact us.

Facts and Figures about carers - nationally

Numbers

• I in 8 adults in the UK are carers – almost 6 million people
• 1.25 million provide more than 50 hours care a week
• By 2037 it is estimated that this number will have reached 9 million
• Everyday another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility
• 3 in 5 people will become a carer at some point in their lives
• 1 in 5 50-59 year-olds have a caring responsibility
• Women are more likely to be carers than men – 58% to 42%
• There are at least 175,000 young carers – most likely significantly more

Money

• Carers save the economy £87 billion per year, at an average of £15,260 per carer
• Carers benefit is just £53.10 per week, for people who provide a minimum of 35 hours of care a week; this is equivalent to £1.52 an hour, far short of the minimum wage
• 72% of carers are worse off as a result of their caring role
• More than half of carers 54% are in debt as a result of their caring role

Health

• 625,000 people suffer mental and physical ill health as a direct consequence of the stress and physical demands of caring
• Carers providing care for over 50 hours a week are twice as likely to be in poor health as those not caring

Work

• 3 million people combine work with caring responsibilities.  This is roughly 1 in 8 workers in the UK
• 2 million carers work full time
• 400,000 combine full time work with caring for 20 hours or more, of care per week
More than half – 54% of older carers have given up work early to care.

Locally – figures from the 2001 Census

• There are around 100,000 carers in Hertfordshire, just over 96,000 adult carers and around 8,000 young carers
• 15,507 adults provide 50 or more hours of care per week
• Hertfordshire carers save the economy £1.2 billion per year
• Nearly 52,000 carers in Hertfordshire combine employment with their caring role
• 22,903 men work full time (73% of male carers)
• 13,672 women work full time (35% of female carers)
• 2,211 men work part time (7% of male carers)
• 13,132 women work part time (33% of female carers)
• Over 8,000 work full time and provide 20 hours or more care