More than one in 10 providing unpaid care

The number of unpaid carers in England and Wales has reached 5.8 million – a rise of 600,000 since 2001, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

Figures from 2011 show that the largest increase was in unpaid carers working for 50 or more hours a week.

Wales had a higher percentage of people providing unpaid care compared with any English region.

In England, the highest percentages of unpaid carers were in the North West, North East and West Midlands.

The ONS study into unpaid care in England and Wales, 2011 found that more than 12% of the population in Wales provided some level of care in 2011.