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Carers' mental health statistics worldwide

TherapyRoute

TherapyRoute

Clinical Editorial

Cape Town, South Africa

Reviewed by TherapyRoute
Mental HealthCare
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❝How unpaid carers' mental health compares with that of people who do not provide care, how caring affects stress, worry and sleep, and how common depression and anxiety are among carers of people with cancer, dementia and severe mental illness, in countries on every continent. Every figure says who was asked and how.❞

Updated October 2026

In this Article

Many unpaid carers report poorer mental health than people without caring roles. The key figures below come from the Office for National Statistics in England 1, the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2, Statistics Canada 3 and a pooled analysis of studies in Frontiers in Psychiatry 4.

Millions of people care, unpaid, for a partner, parent, child or friend who is ill, disabled or growing frail. Caring can bring meaning and closeness, and it can also wear people down: broken sleep, constant worry and little time for themselves.

National surveys in several countries now ask carers about their health, and many studies screen carers of people with specific conditions such as cancer, dementia or severe mental illness. These two kinds of figure answer different questions. Each figure below names its population and its method. An adjusted figure allows for other differences between the groups compared, such as age. A meta-analysis, or pooled estimate, combines the results of many studies into one figure.

Key figures

  • In 2019, 19.5% of unpaid carers in England had low mental wellbeing after adjusting for age, a higher share than among people not providing care. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) 1
  • In 2019, 14.8% of people aged sixteen and over in England who did not provide unpaid care had low mental wellbeing, after adjusting for age. (survey, at one point in time, 2019 data) 1
  • In 2012, about half of primary carers in Australia, 50.4%, reported a negative impact of caring: for example, feeling weary, often feeling angry, resentful, worried or depressed, or having a stress-related illness. (survey, at one point in time, 2012 data) 2
  • In Canada in 2022, 44% of unpaid caregivers said they had felt worried or anxious because of their caregiving in the past year. (survey, past 12 months, 2022 data) 3
  • Across eighty-five studies in twenty-five countries, a pooled 25.1% of caregivers of people with cancer had depression, mostly measured with screening questionnaires. (pooled from prevalence studies, modelled estimate, published 2022) 4

Getting help

If something on this page reflects what you are going through, you do not have to manage it alone. Our guide to finding the right therapist explains how to choose someone qualified, and the TherapyRoute directory lists therapists in many countries.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, our list of helplines and crisis lines worldwide gives free services by country. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

Family dynamics can be complex. A family therapist can help you navigate challenges and strengthen your relationships.

Find a family therapist

How caring affects mental health

Surveys and studies compare carers with people who do not provide care, or ask carers how caring affects them. Where studies compare them with people who do not provide care, carers report poorer mental health; many carers also say caring brings stress, worry and broken sleep.

Psychological distress in the Japan study means a score of five or more on the Kessler scale, a short distress questionnaire. A mentally unhealthy day is a day on which a person said their mental health was not good. A modelled share is an estimate from a statistical model rather than a direct count.

CountryFindingStudy typeYearSource
AustraliaIn Australia in 2012, 48.2% of primary carers said caring interrupted their sleep frequently or occasionally.Survey, at one point in time20122
AustraliaIn Australia in 2012, 21.6% of primary carers said they were losing touch with existing friends because of their caring role.Survey, at one point in time20122
AustraliaIn Australia in 2009, 40% of primary carers giving forty or more hours of care a week frequently felt worried or depressed, against just over a quarter of those caring under twenty hours.Survey, at one point in time20095
CanadaIn Canada in 2022, 56% of unpaid caregivers said they had felt tired because of their caregiving responsibilities in the past twelve months.Survey, past 12 months20223
CanadaIn Canada in 2022, 20% of women who gave unpaid care said they had felt depressed because of their caregiving responsibilities in the past twelve months.Survey, past 12 months20223
CanadaIn Canada in 2018, 23% of caregivers aged fifteen and over who gave care in the past year and said their support fell short reported fair or poor mental health.Survey, at one point in time20186
CanadaIn Canada in 2018, 36% of caregivers aged fifteen and over who gave care in the past year with insufficient support said most days were quite a bit or extremely stressful.Survey, at one point in time20186
CanadaAmong caregivers aged fifteen and over in Canada who gave care in the past year and felt their support was enough, 14% reported fair or poor mental health in 2018.Survey, at one point in time20186
CanadaIn Canada in 2018, one in three caregivers aged sixty-five and over, 33%, found their caregiving responsibilities stressful or very stressful.Survey, at one point in time20187
CanadaIn Canada in 2018, 59% of women aged sixty-five and over who gave twenty or more hours of care a week found it stressful or very stressful.Survey, at one point in time20187
EnglandAlmost half of unpaid carers in England, 48.6%, reported at least one adverse health effect of providing care in the past three months.Survey, at one point in time2015, 2017 and 20191
EnglandAmong unpaid carers in England, 30.1% reported general stress as an effect of caring in the past three months.Survey, at one point in time2015, 2017 and 20191
EnglandIn England, 18% of adult patients registered with a GP who identified as unpaid carers had felt isolated from others in the past year (GP Patient Survey, January to March 2021).Survey, past 12 monthsJanuary to March 20218
EnglandIn England, 14% of patients aged sixteen and over who gave no unpaid care had felt isolated from others in the past year (GP Patient Survey, January to March 2021).Survey, past 12 monthsJanuary to March 20218
EnglandAmong unpaid carers in England giving fifty or more hours of care in the previous week, 82.6% reported an adverse health effect of caring in the past three months.Survey, at one point in time2015, 2017 and 20191
EnglandAmong carers aged eighteen and over in England who look after another adult and answered a council-run survey, 20.2% felt they were neglecting their own sleep or eating in 2023-24.Survey, at one point in time2023-249
EnglandIn England, 32% of unpaid carers aged sixteen to twenty-four said they had felt isolated in the past year, in the GP Patient Survey run from January to March 2021.Survey, past 12 monthsJanuary to March 20218
Europe and IsraelAcross Europe and Israel, 26% of women aged fifty to ninety who gave personal care at home developed high depressive symptoms over about four years, in a study covering 2015-2020.Survey, followed over time2015-202010
Europe and IsraelAcross Europe and Israel, 17.3% of men aged fifty to ninety who gave personal care at home developed high depressive symptoms over about four years, in a study covering 2015-2020.Survey, followed over time2015-202010
JapanA Japan study followed the same people over 2005-2021. Among men aged fifty to fifty-nine when it began, who started caring for a parent or parent-in-law after its first year, 31.7% had psychological distress a year before that care ended.Cohort study, followed over time2005-202111
JapanA Japan study followed the same people over 2005-2021. Among women aged fifty to fifty-nine when it began, who started caring for a parent or parent-in-law after its first year, 40.8% had psychological distress a year before that care ended.Cohort study, followed over time2005-202111
MexicoIn Mexico in 2022, 39.1% of women aged fifteen and over caring for someone in their own household said caring left them feeling tired.Survey, at one point in time202212
MexicoIn Mexico in 2022, 22.7% of women aged fifteen and over who care for members of their own household said caring made them feel irritable.Survey, at one point in time202212
MexicoIn Mexico in 2022, 16.3% of women aged fifteen and over who care for members of their own household said caring made them feel depressed.Survey, at one point in time202212
MexicoIn Mexico in 2022, 31.7% of women aged fifteen and over who care for members of their own household said caring cut into their sleep.Survey, at one point in time202212
MexicoAmong men aged fifteen and over caring for someone in their own household in Mexico in 2022, the most common effect of caring was less sleep, reported by 17.3%.Survey, at one point in time202212
MexicoIn Mexico in 2022, 15.2% of men aged fifteen and over who care for members of their own household said caring left them feeling tired, well below the share among women carers.Survey, at one point in time202212
New ZealandIn New Zealand, among older adults assessed for publicly funded home care who had an unpaid carer, an estimated 35.1% had a carer in distress in 2012, in national assessment records.Administrative records, modelled estimate201213
New ZealandIn New Zealand, 41.7% of first home care assessments of adults aged sixty-five and over with an unpaid carer recorded carer distress between 2012 and 2020.Administrative records, at one point in time2012-202013
New ZealandBy 2020, the modelled share of older home care clients in New Zealand whose carer showed distress had risen to 48.5%, its peak in national assessment records.Administrative records, modelled estimate202013
South KoreaAmong young adults aged nineteen to thirty-four in South Korea who were the main carer or financial supporter of a parent with dementia in 2019, 41.8% reported a psychological burden from caring.Survey, at one point in time201914
United KingdomBefore the pandemic, 16.7% of UK adults who looked after someone sick, disabled or elderly screened as likely to have depression in the Understanding Society panel, in 2017-2019.Survey, at one point in time2017-201915
United KingdomBefore the pandemic, 12.1% of UK adults who were not carers screened as likely to have depression in the Understanding Society panel, in 2017-2019.Survey, at one point in time2017-201915
United KingdomDuring the coronavirus pandemic, in May 2020, 21.6% of UK adults who looked after someone sick, disabled or elderly screened as likely to have depression.Survey, at one point in timeMay 202015
United KingdomIn May 2020, 60% of UK carers with depression symptoms said they had not accessed any counselling or talking therapy support during the pandemic.Survey, at one point in timeMay 202015
United StatesIn thirty-five US states and Puerto Rico, 25.6% of adult caregivers reported lifetime depression in 2021–2022, a higher share than among non-caregivers, and the gap held after adjusting for age.Survey, lifetime (ever)2021–202216
United StatesFor comparison, 18.6% of adults in the same thirty-five US states and Puerto Rico who were not caregivers reported lifetime depression in 2021–2022.Survey, lifetime (ever)2021–202216
United StatesAmong caregivers in the United States looking after someone with a mental illness, 27.5% reported fifteen or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month over 2019–2023.Survey, at one point in time2019–202317
United StatesIn the United States over 2019–2023, 20.3% of caregivers of people with cancer reported fifteen or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month.Survey, at one point in time2019–202317
United StatesIn the United States over 2019–2023, 18.6% of caregivers of people with heart disease reported fifteen or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month.Survey, at one point in time2019–202317
United StatesIn the United States over 2019–2023, 17.8% of caregivers whose care recipient's main condition was Alzheimer disease or another dementia reported fifteen or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month.Survey, at one point in time2019–202317

Carers in Chile

Chile's national dependency survey screened household carers for carer overload, the strain of caring, using a short questionnaire called the Zarit scale. In the Chile survey, severe dependency is the highest of three levels of functional dependency, which means needing fairly intensive personal help with daily activities 18. It also screened for anxiety and depression symptoms with the PHQ four, a four-question checklist. Overload was higher among women than men, among carers aged forty to fifty-nine than those aged eighteen to thirty-nine, and among carers on lower incomes 18.

Screening flags likely problems; it is not a diagnosis. Psychosocial support means emotional and practical help, such as counselling or support groups. Income fifths split households into five equal groups by income, from poorest to richest. The Chile group figures come from latent class analysis. This statistical method sorted carers into four groups by how intensive their care was. Both reports cited for these groups used this method 19 20. The lightest care group is the one whose care was least intensive. The last two figures come from a separate survey, Chile's Social Wellbeing Survey 20.

  • In Chile in 2022, 47.9% of household carers in the heaviest care group, those helping with every daily task, showed intense carer overload on the short Zarit scale. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 19
  • In Chile in 2022, 46.4% of women caring for a household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 28% of men caring for a household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 49.8% of main carers aged forty to fifty-nine looking after an adult household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 22.5% of main carers aged eighteen to thirty-nine looking after an adult household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 53.6% of women carers aged forty to fifty-nine looking after a household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 48% of carers in the two lowest income fifths looking after a household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 37.2% of main carers in the three higher income fifths looking after an adult household member with severe dependency showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 46.5% of sons, daughters and stepchildren who were the main carer of a parent or step-parent with severe dependency in their household showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, among adults with severe dependency cared for by a main carer in their household, 42.7% had a carer who showed intense carer overload. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 47.7% of main household carers of dependent adults in the most intensive of four carer profiles reported some anxiety or depression symptoms on the PHQ four screen. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 19
  • In Chile in 2022, 33.9% of household carers of dependent adults in the lightest care group reported some anxiety or depression symptoms. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 19
  • In Chile in 2022, 45.8% of main carers of an adult household member with severe dependency reported some anxiety or depression symptoms on the PHQ four screen. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 7.7% of main carers of an adult household member with severe dependency reported severe anxiety or depression symptoms. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 18
  • In Chile in 2022, 52.4% of household carers of dependent adults said they needed psychosocial support or health care for themselves. (survey, at one point in time, 2022 data) 19
  • In Chile in 2023, 39.8% of one modelled group, mostly unpaid carers without paid work giving lighter care, reported dissatisfaction with their own health. About half lived with someone with disability, dependency or a health condition. (survey, at one point in time, 2023 data) 20
  • In Chile in 2023, 26.4% of one modelled group, mostly unpaid carers without paid work giving lighter care, had moderate or severe anxiety or depression symptoms. About half lived with someone with disability, dependency or a health condition. (survey, at one point in time, 2023 data) 20

Carers of people with specific conditions

Studies in hospitals and clinics find high levels of depression and anxiety among family carers of people with cancer, dementia, severe mental illness and learning disorders. These samples are not national, their screening tools differ, and some are small. In Africa, the Ethiopia clinic study and one pooled analysis are the only evidence we found; we did not find a national survey there that reports carers' mental health.

A purposive sample is one that researchers pick deliberately, for example from certain clinics, rather than at random. Oncology means cancer care. A common mental disorder is a mental health problem picked up by a screening questionnaire, excluding psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia.

  • Among a purposive sample of three hundred and twenty-four family caregivers of cancer survivors at three oncology clinics in Oman, 28.4% had symptoms of anxiety. (survey, at one point in time, published 2026, fieldwork year not stated) 21
  • Among a purposive sample of three hundred and twenty-four family caregivers of cancer survivors at three oncology clinics in Oman, 26.2% had symptoms of depression. (survey, at one point in time, published 2026, fieldwork year not stated) 21
  • Across studies in five African countries, a pooled 47.2% of primary caregivers of people with cancer screened positive for depression. (pooled from prevalence studies, modelled estimate, published 2025) 22
  • Among two hundred and eighty-four primary caregivers aged over eighteen of people with severe mental illness at one psychiatry clinic in Jimma, Ethiopia, 19% screened positive for depression on a questionnaire. (survey, at one point in time, 2013 data) 23
  • Among women in a sample of two hundred and eighty-four primary caregivers of people with severe mental illness at one clinic in Jimma, Ethiopia, 25% screened positive for depression. (survey, at one point in time, 2013 data) 23
  • Among six hundred and twelve parents and primary carers of children with specific learning disorders, recruited through services and community groups in Saudi Arabia, 35.6% screened positive for probable depression. (survey, at one point in time, published 2026, fieldwork year not stated) 24
  • In a small clinic sample of ninety family carers of older people with dementia in Botucatu, Brazil, 62.2% had a common mental disorder between 2015 and 2017. (survey, at one point in time, 2015-2017 data) 25

Carers who also work

Many carers also hold a paid job; researchers call them carer-employees.

  • Among carer-employees in Canada in a nationally representative survey, 71% felt the pandemic had harmed their emotional or mental health. (survey, at one point in time, 2020 data) 26
  • Among carer-employees in the United Kingdom in a nationally representative survey, 70% felt the pandemic had worsened their emotional or mental health. (survey, at one point in time, 2020 data) 26

How to read these figures

National surveys and clinic studies measure different things. A clinic sample of carers of people with cancer will not match a national survey of all carers.

Some figures ask whether caring caused stress or worry; others screen for depression or anxiety with a questionnaire. Screening flags likely symptoms and is not a diagnosis.

Several studies took place during the pandemic, when carers faced extra strain.

These figures describe carers, not the people they care for.

Carers often put their own health last. Many carers find that respite, practical help, carers' support groups and time for sleep and friendships make a difference.

If caring has left you exhausted, anxious or low, a psychologist or counsellor can help you find support and space for yourself. Our guide on how to find the right therapist explains what to look for. If you are in distress right now, see our helplines and crisis lines worldwide.

Cite this page: TherapyRoute. Carers' mental health statistics worldwide. https://www.therapyroute.com/article/carers-mental-health-statistics-worldwide-by-therapyroute. Last updated 26 October 2026.

References
  1. [1] Unpaid care expectancy and health outcomes of unpaid carers, England: April 2024. Office for National Statistics, 18 April 2024 ons.gov.uk.
  2. [2] Caring in the Community, Australia, 2012. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014 (2012 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers) abs.gov.au.
  3. [3] More than half of women provide care to children and care-dependent adults in Canada, 2022. Statistics Canada, The Daily, 8 November 2022 www150.statcan.gc.ca.
  4. [4] Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence of Depression Among Caregivers of Cancer Patients. Frontiers in psychiatry (Pan), 2022 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
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  6. [6] Support received by caregivers in Canada. Statistics Canada, Insights on Canadian Society (Hango), 8 January 2020 www150.statcan.gc.ca.
  7. [7] The experiences and needs of older caregivers in Canada. Statistics Canada, Insights on Canadian Society (Arriagada), 2020 www150.statcan.gc.ca.
  8. [8] Feelings of isolation: What does 2021 GP Patient Survey data tell us? GP Patient Survey, administered by Ipsos for NHS England (Brewer), 2021 survey (January to March 2021) gp-patient.co.uk.
  9. [9] Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England, 2023-24. NHS England (NHS Digital), 27 June 2024 digital.nhs.uk.
  10. [10] How are location and type of caring associated with the carer's mental health? Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from SHARE. European Journal of Ageing (Schaps et al.), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  11. [11] Can Cessation of Caregiving for Parents Relieve Family Caregivers' Psychological Distress? A Longitudinal Study Using 17-wave Nationwide Survey Data in Japan. Journal of Epidemiology (Oshio and Ping), 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  12. [12] Encuesta Nacional para el Sistema de Cuidados (ENASIC) 2022, Comunicado de prensa número 578/23. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI), 3 October 2023 inegi.org.mx.
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  18. [18] Las voces de las cuidadoras: Un acercamiento desde la Encuesta Nacional de Discapacidad y Dependencia 2022 y la experiencia de personas cuidadoras. Servicio Nacional de la Discapacidad (Senadis) and Ministerio de la Mujer y Equidad de Género, Chile, December 2025 (data 2022) senadis.gob.cl.
  19. [19] Perfiles de personas cuidadoras de población adulta con dependencia (Resultado Encuesta Nacional de Discapacidad y Dependencia 2022, ENDIDE 2022). Observatorio Social, Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia, Chile (with Senadis and Senama), November 2025 (data 2022) observatorio.ministeriodesarrollosocial.gob.cl.
  20. [20] Bienestar subjetivo en las personas que realizan labores de cuidado (Serie Resultados Encuesta de Bienestar Social, EBS 2023). Observatorio Social, Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia, Chile, November 2024 (fieldwork September to December 2023) observatorio.ministeriodesarrollosocial.gob.cl.
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