On 21 October 2025, Carers UK published State of Caring 2025: The cost of caring – the impact of caring across carers’ lives — the largest in-depth study of unpaid carers in the UK. Over 10,500 carers shared their experiences with us this year, providing unique insight into the pressures facing the 5.8 million people who provide unpaid care worth £184 billion annually.
This year’s report examines:
- Financial costs: how carers are cutting back on essentials and facing rising energy bills.
- Health and wellbeing costs: including physical strain and worsening health.
- Employment and opportunity costs: with many carers reducing their hours or stepping back from work.
- Future insecurity: with three quarters of respondents worried about their financial position after caring ends.
Headline findings include:
- 52% of unpaid carers are providing more hours of care than a year ago.
- 49% have cut back on essentials, such as food, heating, clothing and transport costs and 74% are worried about their future financial security.
- 35% of working carers say they have reduced their working hours and a fifth (21%) say they have taken on a lower paid or more junior role
- 42% say their physical health has worsened and 20% have experienced an injury because of caring.
- 74% say they feel stressed or anxious, some are experiencing panic attacks and are unable to sleep because of this
In the report, we set out a detailed policy agenda to create a fairer settlement for carers. Specifically, we are calling for: a new National Carers Strategy, sustainable social care investment, improved financial support, statutory paid Carer’s Leave, and recognition of caring under the Equality Act.
You can download the full report and recommendations here, and can also download a two-page executive summary here.
