The U.S. telehealth market is projected to reach $185.2 billion by 2026, but caregiving needs still reach far beyond clinic visits. In Canada, 16% of people report providing informal care because of a disability or illness, which affects millions of households. This overview pairs caregiving prevalence with economic pressure, health impacts, and access gaps to show the scale of the burden.
Key Takeaways
- 16% of Canadians (approximately 5.4 million) reported providing informal care to someone due to a disability or illness
- The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 61.2 million people were aged 65+ in 2023
- Over 2.5 billion people worldwide are affected by aging-related health and social care needs (WHO estimate)
- $3,000 average monthly cost of long-term care in the U.S. (2023 median)
- Caregiving-related health out-of-pocket expenses average $7,242 per year per caregiver in the U.S. (2019)
- $5,899 per caregiver per year in lost income in the U.S. (2016)
- 2.8 million Americans used telehealth services via audio-only or video platforms (2020 NHIS estimate)
- 74% of nursing homes use at least one electronic health record system (2022)
- 79% of home care agencies report using some form of mobile device for field documentation (2021 survey)
- Caregiving is associated with a 63% higher risk of depression compared with non-caregiving (meta-analysis estimate)
- Caregiving increases odds of mortality by 23% compared with non-caregivers in older adults (meta-analysis)
- Caregivers report clinically significant anxiety symptoms at a 1.3x rate relative to non-caregivers (2021 systematic review)
- 37% of caregivers report having to take care of both children and a parent or relative (the sandwich generation share)
- 18% of caregivers report they have unmet needs for mental health support (2021)
- Approximately 1 in 5 caregivers report they have difficulty accessing respite care (2018 survey)
Caregiving affects millions, costing caregivers time, money, and health while demand keeps rising with aging populations.
Related reading
01 · Category
Caregiving Prevalence3 stats
01
16% of Canadians (approximately 5.4 million) reported providing informal care to someone due to a disability or illness
02
The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 61.2 million people were aged 65+ in 2023
03
Over 2.5 billion people worldwide are affected by aging-related health and social care needs (WHO estimate)
Interpretation
Caregiving Prevalence Interpretation
Caregiving is widespread and growing, with 16% of Canadians providing informal care and nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide facing aging-related health and social care needs, underscoring how common caregiving demands are as the population aged 65+ continues to rise.
02 · Category
Economic Impact5 stats
01
$3,000average monthly cost of long-term care in the U.S. (2023 median)
02
Caregiving-related health out-of-pocket expenses average $7,242per year per caregiver in the U.S. (2019)
03
$5,899per caregiver per year in lost income in the U.S. (2016)
04
1.3% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product is attributed to caregiving-related unpaid labor (2017 estimate)
05
The global market for home care services is projected to reach $391.9 billion by 2030 (2022 forecast)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From the Economic Impact lens, caregiving strains budgets on multiple fronts, with long-term care costing a median $3,000 per month in the U.S. and caregivers also facing average out-of-pocket health costs of $7,242 per year plus $5,899 in lost income, while caregiving-related unpaid labor still amounts to 1.3% of U.S. GDP and the home care market is forecast to grow to $391.9 billion by 2030.
03 · Category
Technology Use6 stats
01
2.8 million Americans used telehealth services via audio-only or video platforms (2020 NHIS estimate)
02
74% of nursing homes use at least one electronic health record system (2022)
03
79% of home care agencies report using some form of mobile device for field documentation (2021 survey)
04
The U.S. telehealth market is projected to reach $185.2 billion by 2026 (2022 forecast)
05
The worldwide home healthcare market is forecast to grow from $77.6 billion in 2021 to $144.1 billion by 2030 (2022 forecast)
06
15% of adults in the U.S. used an app or online service to communicate with healthcare providers in 2022
Interpretation
Technology Use Interpretation
In the technology use landscape of caregiving, the rise of digital tools is clear, with 74% of nursing homes using electronic health record systems and 79% of home care agencies relying on mobile devices for field documentation.
More related reading
04 · Category
Health & Stress7 stats
01
Caregiving is associated with a 63% higher risk of depression compared with non-caregiving (meta-analysis estimate)
02
Caregiving increases odds of mortality by 23% compared with non-caregivers in older adults (meta-analysis)
03
Caregivers report clinically significant anxiety symptoms at a 1.3x rate relative to non-caregivers (2021 systematic review)
04
Caregiving reduces physical activity levels: 32% of caregivers report doing less exercise (2017)
05
31% of caregivers report having taken less medication as prescribed due to caregiving demands (2019)
06
Caregivers experience higher rates of hypertension: 27% vs 20% in non-caregivers (NHIS-based analysis, 2018)
07
Caregiving demands are linked to increased burnout; 28% of caregivers meet burnout criteria in a 2022 cross-sectional study
Interpretation
Health & Stress Interpretation
In the Health and Stress context, caregiving is linked to substantial mental and physical strain, with depression risk rising by 63% and hypertension reported at 27% versus 20% among non-caregivers.
05 · Category
Caregiving Challenges5 stats
01
37% of caregivers report having to take care of both children and a parent or relative (the sandwich generation share)
02
18% of caregivers report they have unmet needs for mental health support (2021)
03
Approximately 1 in 5 caregivers report they have difficulty accessing respite care (2018 survey)
04
Caregivers spend a median of 20 hours per week on caregiving tasks (U.S. survey, 2019)
05
17% of older adults in the U.S. have difficulty with at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL), increasing caregiver demand (2021)
Interpretation
Caregiving Challenges Interpretation
Caregiving challenges are widespread, with caregivers balancing the sandwich generation reality at 37%, lacking mental health support at 18%, and struggling to access respite care at about 1 in 5, while the workload stays heavy with a median of 20 hours a week.
report visual · Comparison
Caregiving is linked to higher health risks
Caregivers face meaningfully higher risks of depression and mortality than non-caregivers.
Caregiving is associated with a 63% higher risk of depression compared with non-caregiving (meta-analysis estimate)63%
Caregiving increases odds of mortality by 23% compared with non-caregivers in older adults (meta-analysis)
23%
16% of Canadians (approximately 5.4 million) reported providing informal care to someone due to a disability or illness
16%
source-verifiedncbi.nlm.nih.gov · journals.lww.com · www150.statcan.gc.ca
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Caregiving Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/caregiving-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "Caregiving Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/caregiving-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "Caregiving Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/caregiving-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
www150.statcan.gc.ca
census.gov
who.int
aspe.hhs.gov
jamanetwork.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
nber.org
fortunebusinessinsights.com
cdc.gov
himss.org
ahcancal.org
grandviewresearch.com
journals.lww.com
sciencedirect.compubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)