Look around you, because if the statistics are any indication, you or someone you know is part of the silent army of 53 million Americans—and millions more worldwide—who are sacrificing their time, health, and finances to provide unpaid care for a loved one.
Key Takeaways
- In 2020, 53 million adults in the U.S. provided unpaid caregiving to an adult with health or functional needs, representing 21% of the adult population
- Women comprise 61% of all caregivers in the U.S., while men make up 39%
- 23% of U.S. caregivers are caring for a parent or parent-in-law
- Caregivers in the U.S. provide an average of 24.2 hours of care per week
- 34% of U.S. caregivers provide 20 or more hours of care per week
- High-intensity caregivers (35+ hours/week) make up 15% of U.S. caregivers
- Family caregivers in U.S. provide care worth $470 billion annually in 2017 dollars
- Unpaid family caregivers lose $522,000 in wages over their lifetimes
- 23% of U.S. caregivers report financial hardship due to caregiving
- 21% of U.S. caregivers suffer poor mental health
- High-stress caregivers in U.S. 23% more likely to have heart issues
- 17% of U.S. caregivers report physical strain
- 75% of U.S. hospice care is family-provided
- Only 14% of U.S. caregivers use respite care services
- U.S. states with paid family leave see 10% lower caregiver burden
Millions provide unpaid caregiving worldwide, facing personal, financial, and health challenges.
Demographics
- In 2020, 53 million adults in the U.S. provided unpaid caregiving to an adult with health or functional needs, representing 21% of the adult population
- Women comprise 61% of all caregivers in the U.S., while men make up 39%
- 23% of U.S. caregivers are caring for a parent or parent-in-law
- Millennials (ages 23-38 in 2020) represent 26% of caregivers, making them the largest age group
- 37% of U.S. caregivers have a full-time or part-time job
- Racial and ethnic minorities make up 24% of caregivers in the U.S., with Hispanics at 10%, Blacks at 9%, and Asians at 4%
- 42% of caregivers are over the age of 50
- In the EU, 8% of the population aged 15+ provides care, with women more likely (10%) than men (6%)
- Globally, 10% of the world's population aged 15+ provides informal care
- In the U.S., 1 in 5 adults is a caregiver
- Baby boomers are sandwiched caregivers (caring for both children and parents) at 23%
- 48% of caregivers live within 20 minutes of their care recipient
- LGBTQ+ individuals are twice as likely to be caregivers (22%) compared to heterosexuals (11%)
- Rural caregivers are 19% more likely to provide 20+ hours of care per week than urban ones
- In Canada, 35% of caregivers are men, up from 25% in 2012
- U.S. caregivers aged 75+ number 4 million
- Hispanic caregivers provide 32 hours of care per week on average
- In Australia, 2.65 million people (12% of adults) provide informal care
- U.S. adult children caregivers number 15.3 million
- Spouses provide 17% of all caregiving in the U.S.
- In the UK, 6.5 million people (10% of population) are unpaid carers
- U.S. caregivers with disabilities themselves: 15%
- In Japan, 25% of women aged 45-54 are caregivers
- U.S. long-distance caregivers: 10%
- Black caregivers in U.S.: 9% of total, providing more intensive care
- In India, 80% of elderly care is by daughters-in-law
- U.S. Gen Z caregivers: 6%
- European caregivers aged 50-64: 20% prevalence
- U.S. caregivers who are also parents: 18%
- In South Korea, 12.5% of population provides family care
Demographics Interpretation
The unpaid labor of caregiving is a silent, sprawling global economy, with women disproportionately carrying the ledger, millennials now the largest shareholder class, and nearly every community—from Gen Z to the LGBTQ+ population—contributing in numbers that should shame any nation into building a better support system.
Financial Impact
- Family caregivers in U.S. provide care worth $470 billion annually in 2017 dollars
- Unpaid family caregivers lose $522,000 in wages over their lifetimes
- 23% of U.S. caregivers report financial hardship due to caregiving
- Employed U.S. caregivers lose $304 billion in wages annually
- 20% of U.S. caregivers have taken a leave of absence from work
- Average out-of-pocket costs for U.S. caregivers: $7,242 per year
- In the UK, unpaid care value is £132 billion per year
- 25% of U.S. working caregivers have turned down promotions
- U.S. caregivers spend 26% of income on care-related costs
- Lifetime earnings loss for female caregivers: $659,000 vs. $283,000 for men
- In Australia, carer income is 32% lower than non-carers
- 10% of U.S. caregivers quit jobs due to caregiving
- Medicare costs reduced by $1,900 per year per caregiver-supported beneficiary
- In Canada, caregivers lose $36.1 billion in health/productivity costs yearly
- U.S. dementia caregivers' out-of-pocket: $10,000+ annually for 40%
- 50% of U.S. caregivers report high financial strain
- EU informal care saves €232 billion in formal care costs yearly
- Working U.S. caregivers arrive late/leave early 25% of days
- In Japan, family care reduces public LTCI costs by 40%
- U.S. low-income caregivers twice as likely to experience hardship (35%)
- Black U.S. caregivers more likely to go without health coverage (15%)
- Global economic value of unpaid care: $10 trillion yearly
- 27% of U.S. caregivers cut back on medications for themselves
- Rural caregivers spend 15% more out-of-pocket
- In India, caregiver opportunity costs equivalent to 20% GDP loss
- U.S. caregivers forgo 60% of recommended preventive care
- 40% of U.S. caregivers 50+ retire early due to caregiving
Financial Impact Interpretation
We are running a massive, unpaid, and punishingly expensive national health service on the backs of families, who are then billed for the privilege with their careers, savings, and well-being.
Health Effects
- 21% of U.S. caregivers suffer poor mental health
- High-stress caregivers in U.S. 23% more likely to have heart issues
- 17% of U.S. caregivers report physical strain
- Caregivers have 63% higher mortality risk if distressed
- 40% of U.S. caregivers experience high emotional stress
- Dementia caregivers 2.4 times more depressed
- U.S. caregivers sleep 1 hour less per night on average
- 35% of caregivers age prematurely by 10+ years
- In UK, 60% of carers have anxiety/depression
- Female caregivers 25% higher risk of coronary heart disease
- U.S. caregivers twice as likely to be in fair/poor health
- High-intensity caregivers 30% more obese
- In Australia, 50% of carers report health decline
- 70% of U.S. caregivers neglect own health checkups
- Spousal caregivers 6x more likely to die first
- EU caregivers 15% higher chronic disease rate
- U.S. caregivers 12% more likely to have hypertension
- In Canada, 44% of caregivers rate health as fair/poor
- Black caregivers report higher physical strain (25%)
- Global caregivers face 20% higher depression rates
- U.S. rural caregivers 28% more stressed
- 48% of U.S. caregivers gain weight due to stress eating
- Long-term caregivers 18% higher stroke risk
- 29% of U.S. caregivers smoke to cope
- Sandwich caregivers 2x burnout rate
- In Japan, caregiver burden leads to 40% immune suppression
- U.S. caregivers delay treatment for own conditions by 33%
- 1 in 3 U.S. caregivers over 65 need care themselves soon
Health Effects Interpretation
The data paints a grimly ironic portrait: caregivers, in their heroic dedication to prolonging the lives of others, are systematically sacrificing their own health, sleep, and longevity, proving that no good deed goes unpunished by the human body.
Support and Policy
- 75% of U.S. hospice care is family-provided
- Only 14% of U.S. caregivers use respite care services
- U.S. states with paid family leave see 10% lower caregiver burden
- By 2030, U.S. will need 1 million more paid caregivers
- Only 5% of U.S. employers offer caregiver support programs
- UK's Carer's Allowance supports 900,000 carers annually
- 53% of U.S. caregivers want more employer flexibility
- Global policy gap: 80% of care still unpaid/informal
- In Australia, 1.9 million carers access support services
- U.S. caregiver tax credit used by only 1% eligible
- Number of U.S. caregivers projected to rise 26% by 2030 to 73 million
- EU Carer Strategies cover 15 member states
- In Canada, 8% of caregivers use formal support
- U.S. VA supports 5 million veteran caregivers
- Only 37% of U.S. caregivers know about available community services
- Japan's Long-Term Care Insurance covers respite for 20% caregivers
- 28% of U.S. caregivers join support groups
- India's National Programme for Elderly provides caregiver training to 100,000
- Rural U.S. access to respite 50% lower than urban
- U.S. FMLA used by 6% for caregiving
- 44% of U.S. caregivers need more training on care tasks
- EU projects 30% increase in caregivers by 2050 without policy
- In South Africa, community caregiver programs train 50,000 annually
- U.S. states with caregiver coalitions: 45
- Only 11% of U.S. caregivers receive paid leave benefits
Support and Policy Interpretation
We are running our most critical healthcare system on the unpaid love and exhaustion of families, a crumbling foundation propped up by haphazard policies that leave caregivers unsupported, untrained, and largely on their own.
Time and Intensity
- Caregivers in the U.S. provide an average of 24.2 hours of care per week
- 34% of U.S. caregivers provide 20 or more hours of care per week
- High-intensity caregivers (35+ hours/week) make up 15% of U.S. caregivers
- Average duration of caregiving in U.S. is 4.6 years
- 31% of U.S. caregivers have been providing care for 5 years or more
- Caregivers spend 20% of their time on household chores
- In the UK, carers provide 5.7 billion hours of care annually
- U.S. caregivers providing care for dementia patients average 40 hours/week
- 25% of U.S. caregivers report providing care 40+ hours per week
- Average daily care time for EU caregivers is 3.5 hours
- In Australia, carers provide 340 million hours of care weekly
- U.S. caregivers multitask care with work for 60% of employed ones
- Long-term caregivers (10+ years): 14% in U.S.
- Nighttime caregiving disrupts sleep for 40% of U.S. caregivers
- In Canada, average care hours per week: 10.4 for all caregivers
- U.S. caregivers for chronic conditions provide 28 hours/week
- 50% of U.S. caregivers assist with personal care like bathing
- Global informal care averages 20 hours/week per caregiver
- In Japan, family caregivers spend 50 hours/week on average
- U.S. working caregivers lose 6.6 hours of sleep weekly due to care
- 70% of U.S. caregivers manage medications daily
- In the UK, 1 in 5 carers provide over 50 hours/week
- Hispanic U.S. caregivers average 35.7 hours/week
- Dementia caregivers in U.S. provide 58% more hours than others
- Rural U.S. caregivers average 29 hours/week
Time and Intensity Interpretation
These statistics paint a relentless portrait of unpaid, round-the-clock labor, where the standard 40-hour workweek is often just the starting shift for a silent army providing what amounts to a second, more demanding full-time job.
Sources & References
- Reference 1AARPaarp.orgVisit source
- Reference 2CAREGIVERcaregiver.orgVisit source
- Reference 3ECec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 4WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 5CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 6RURALHEALTHruralhealth.und.eduVisit source
- Reference 7CANADAcanada.caVisit source
- Reference 8AIHWaihw.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 9CARERSUKcarersuk.orgVisit source
- Reference 10NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 11ALZalz.orgVisit source
- Reference 12ASPEaspe.hhs.govVisit source
- Reference 13NIAnia.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 14CAREGIVERcaregiver.va.govVisit source
- Reference 15DOLdol.govVisit source