Carmarthenshire Among Areas Hit by Unpaid Care in Wales 2026

Key Points

• Unpaid carers in Wales contribute about 445 million hours of unpaid care yearly.
• The monetary value of the care is said to be in the region of £11 billion.
• Carmarthenshire is noted as being among the places hardest hit by caring responsibilities.
• The 2021 Census counted 20,385 unpaid carers in Carmarthenshire or 11.1 percent of the population.
• Over 100,000 individuals in Wales are estimated to be providing more than 50 hours of unpaid care every week.
• The Carers Wales’ State of Caring in Wales 2025 survey revealed that 52 percent of the carers had curtailed their expenditure in areas such as food, heating, clothes or transportation.
• The report estimates that unpaid care saves over £10 billion a year in Welsh health and social care costs.
• Carers Wales has recommended better financial support, assessments, respite care and employment rights.

Wales (Wales Times) October 22, 2026 – Unpaid carers in Wales provide an estimated 445 million hours of support every year, with the value of replacing that care calculated at close to £11 billion, according to figures reported by the Herald.Wales. The report highlights the scale of informal caring across the country and places Carmarthenshire among the areas facing particular pressure.

As reported by Herald.Wales, unpaid carers across Wales provide 445 million hours of care annually, a contribution with a replacement value approaching £11 billion. The figures underline the extent to which families, friends and neighbours sustain care that would otherwise need to be provided through public services or paid providers.

The report also identifies Carmarthenshire as among the UK areas most affected by families’ unpaid caring responsibilities. Census data published by Carmarthenshire County Council shows that more than 20,000 residents, or 11.4% of the county’s population, provided weekly unpaid care at the time of the 2021 Census. Almost 7,400 of those carers, equivalent to 36%, provided 50 or more hours of unpaid care each week.

How many unpaid carers are there in Wales?

The 2021 Census found that 310,000 people in Wales identified as unpaid carers, providing care and support to family members or friends who could not manage without help because of age, illness or disability. As reported by the Institute of Welsh Affairs, modelling by Carers Wales suggests the real total may be closer to 500,000, because many people do not recognise themselves as carers.

Carers UK’s Policy Briefing on the 2021 Census states that 10.5% of Wales’ usual population aged five and over provided unpaid care in some capacity. It also estimates that 3.2% of people in Wales, around 107,000 people, provided 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week.

The census-based analysis published by Carers UK estimated around nine million hours of care were provided each week in Wales, equating to approximately 450 million hours a year. The newly reported figure of 445 million hours is broadly consistent with that estimate.

What is the value of unpaid care in Wales?

The reported replacement value of unpaid care in Wales is approaching £11 billion. This refers to the estimated cost of replacing the hours provided by unpaid carers with paid care, rather than money paid directly to carers.

Carers UK’s State of Caring in Wales 2025 report says unpaid carers save health and social care services in Wales more than £10 billion every year, describing the amount as equivalent to the entire NHS Wales budget.

The Centre for Care’s evidence to the Welsh Parliament inquiry states that the value of unpaid care in Wales was estimated at £10.8 billion, higher than NHS expenditure in Wales of £9.2 billion in 2023/24. Across England and Wales, the Centre for Care estimates the economic value of unpaid care at £162 billion a year, while a separate UK-wide estimate put the value at £184 billion annually.

Why is Carmarthenshire particularly affected?

Carmarthenshire has a higher proportion of unpaid carers than the Wales and England and Wales averages. The county council’s census analysis records that 11.4% of residents provided weekly unpaid care, compared with 10.5% in Wales and 8.8% across England and Wales.

The same analysis found that 7,377 Carmarthenshire residents, or 4.1% of the population, provided 50 or more hours of unpaid care each week. A further 7,114 residents, or 3.9%, provided between 20 and 49 hours weekly.

Carers UK’s census briefing records 20,385 unpaid carers in Carmarthenshire, including 11,800 people providing 50 or more hours of care each week. The briefing also lists comparable rates in neighbouring areas, including Ceredigion at 10.5% and Pembrokeshire at 9.9%.

What pressures do unpaid carers face?

Carers Wales, part of Carers UK, surveyed 919 unpaid carers in Wales between June and August 2025 for its State of Caring in Wales 2025 report. The survey found that 63% of respondents currently caring were providing more than 50 hours of care a week, while 22% provided between 20 and 49 hours.

The report states that 52% of carers had cut back on essentials including food, heating, clothing and transport because of caring. It says this represented a 53% increase from 2023, when 34% of carers reported making such cuts.

Financial pressure was a recurring theme. According to the survey, 42% of carers were struggling to afford costs directly related to caring, 36% had used a loan, credit card or overdraft because of caring, and 63% regularly spent their own money on care-related costs.

The report also records wider effects on wellbeing. It says 39% of carers described their mental health as bad or very bad as a result of caring, 77% felt stressed or anxious, and 66% struggled to get a good night’s sleep.

What support are carers receiving?

Carers Wales says many carers are not receiving the statutory support to which they may be entitled. Its 2025 survey found that 75% of carers had not had a Carer’s Needs Assessment in the previous 12 months.

Among those who had an assessment, 55% said they received information or advice rather than care or support, while 12% were still waiting for the outcome. The report cites the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales’ 2024 findings that, across four investigated local authorities, just 2.8% of carers had received a Carer’s Needs Assessment and 1.5% had received a support plan.

Carers Wales has recommended an action and implementation plan under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, improved awareness of carers’ rights, greater local authority capacity, better respite provision and reforms to financial support. It has also called for a Carer’s Allowance Supplement in Wales, similar to the payment introduced in Scotland in 2018.

What has Carers Wales said?

Carers Wales’ report describes unpaid care as central to the operation of health and social care in Wales. It states that hundreds of thousands of people provide care that helps others live more independent and fulfilling lives, while saving public services more than £10 billion annually.

The organisation says that, despite this contribution, large numbers of carers are being pushed into poverty, left without support, missing their own healthcare and leaving work. It argues that Wales’ ageing population and rising demand for health and social care make support for unpaid carers increasingly important.

The report calls on the Welsh Government, local government, statutory services and the UK Government to treat support for unpaid carers as a priority. It also urges employers to better support staff with caring responsibilities through flexible working and awareness of carers’ employment rights.

Background of the development

Unpaid carers are people who provide regular care to relatives, friends or neighbours who cannot fully manage without support because of age, illness, disability or mental health needs. They are distinct from paid care workers, although some carers also combine caring with employment.

The latest reported figures build on long-standing evidence of the scale of informal care in Wales. The 2021 Census recorded 310,000 unpaid carers in Wales, while Carers Wales has estimated that the true number could be nearly 500,000 once people who do not identify as carers are included.

The valuation of unpaid care has risen over time as the number of care hours and the cost of replacing informal care have increased. Carers UK says the UK-wide economic value of unpaid care was estimated at £184 billion in 2024, up 29.3% over the previous decade.

How could this affect unpaid carers and families in Wales?

The figures may increase attention on the financial and practical pressures facing unpaid carers, particularly in areas such as Carmarthenshire where caring responsibilities are comparatively high. For carers and their families, the data could strengthen calls for clearer information about entitlements, more accessible needs assessments, better respite options and more consistent support across local authority areas.

For employers, the findings may reinforce the case for flexible working, carer-friendly policies and awareness of rights relating to carer’s leave. For health and social care services, the scale of unpaid care suggests that preventing carer burnout could become increasingly important to maintaining support for disabled and older people in the community.

The development may also shape political and policy debate in Wales, as Carers Wales has urged parties and governments to set out how they would improve financial support, implement carers’ rights and fund services that give carers a break from their responsibilities.