A Senedd inquiry from the previous term¹ cited Census 2021 figures that around 310,000 people in Wales (around 10% of the population) were providing some form of unpaid care, with 107,000 people providing as much as 50 hours a week.

The inquiry found that many unpaid carers were not receiving the support they need and many were “at breaking point”.

The Welsh Government has a manifesto commitment to improve support services for unpaid carers, and consider them a priority group for anti-poverty measures.

In principle, unpaid carers have the same legal rights as paid carers in Wales. However, this usually only applies once they have been formally identified as a carer by public authorties such as local councils and the NHS².

If they don’t get this recognition, unpaid carers usually don’t receive any kind of support – such as access to respite care services to allow them to have a break. Many have to wait years to receive carer status.

There are also particular problems for young carers, who may struggle to balance education with care responsibilities, limiting their life opportunities.

In 2024-25, 12,900 adults in Wales had at least one unpaid carer known to local authorities.

However, a further 33,930 adults had unidentified carers who aren’t known to local authorities. This suggests levels of unpaid care may be much higher than authorities realise. One of the issues raised in the previous term’s Senedd inquiry was poor data on unpaid carers.

The majority of people receiving unpaid care are female and those aged 65+.