Census 2011: 2.1m unpaid carers devote over 20 hours a week to looking after loved ones

One in ten residents of England and Wales – a total of 5.8 million people - devotes at least part of their week to caring for disabled, sick or elderly relatives and loved ones without any expectation of payment.

This is an 11 per cent rise from the 5.2 million unpaid carers recorded in the 2001 census, and comes amid a growing crisis about how elderly social care will be funded in the future as the population continues to get older.

The greatest increase was among those providing over 20 hours a week of care, with the number rising from 1.66 million a decade ago to 2.1 million in 2011.

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