This page sets out the key facts and figures used in the Care About Care campaign, with sources for each. We believe the case for investing in social care is overwhelming, but we also believe in showing our working. Every claim below links to an authoritative source. If you spot something you think we’ve got wrong, please get in touch.

The scale of social care

Social care contributes £77.8 billion to England’s economy each year. That’s more than tourism, telecoms, or the arts and entertainment industries. The sector’s economic contribution grew by 12.2% in 2024/25. Source: Skills for Care, State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2024/25 (October 2025). https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

1.6 million people work in social care in England. That’s more than the NHS workforce, and includes care workers, support workers, registered managers, and senior carers. Source: Skills for Care, State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2024/25. https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

There are around 18,000 social care providers in England. They cover every community in the country, from large national groups to single-site family-run homes. Source: The King’s Fund, Social Care Workforce in a Nutshell. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/data-and-charts/social-care-workforce-nutshell

Around 80% of adult social care providers are small or single-site businesses. Most are run by people who live in the communities they serve. Source: Nuffield Trust, What does the provider market look like across the four countries? https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/what-does-the-provider-market-look-like-across-the-four-countries

The people who rely on care

Around 860,000 people receive regulated social care in England. This figure combines around 500,000 people receiving CQC-regulated domiciliary (home) care with around 360,000 people living in care homes. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, Adult Social Care in England Monthly Statistics, December 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-social-care-in-england-monthly-statistics-december-2025

In 2024/25, there were 2.0 million requests for support made by people new to social care. Of these requests,1.3 million were from people aged 65 and over and 665,000 requests were from people aged 18 to 64. Source: The King’s Fund, Social Care 360. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/social-care-360-access

1 in 4 people over 65 need help with everyday tasks like bathing or dressing. Source: NHS Digital, Health Survey for England 2021, Part 2: Social Care. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england/2021-part-2/social-care

3 in 5 of us will care for someone we love at some point in our lives. Source: The Health Foundation, Understanding Unpaid Carers and Their Access to Support. https://www.health.org.uk/reports-and-analysis/analysis/understanding-unpaid-carers-and-their-access-to-support

There are around 5 million unpaid carers in England and Wales. Most are family members supporting parents, partners, children or close friends. Source: Office for National Statistics, Unpaid Care, England and Wales: Census 2021. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/unpaidcareenglandandwales/census2021

The care workforce

Care workers have an average of 8.4 years of experience. This is skilled, experienced work, not entry-level employment. Source: Skills for Care, State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2024/25. https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

The median hourly rate for care workers in the independent sector is around £11.00 –  about 56p above the National Living Wage. For comparison, this is less than the typical hourly pay for stacking supermarket shelves or delivering parcels. Source: Skills for Care, State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2024/25. https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

The sector vacancy rate is 7%, three times the average for the wider UK economy. There were 111,000 vacant posts in 2024/25. Source: Skills for Care, State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2024/25. https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

The future of care

By 2040, England will need 470,000 more adult social care roles. That’s a 27% increase, driven by the growing number of people aged over 65. Source: Skills for Care, State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England 2024/25. https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx

The Fair Pay Agreement

The Government has committed £500 million to fund the first Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care. Spread across 1.5 million workers, this equates to roughly 20p extra per hour. Sources: Department of Health and Social Care; The Health Foundation, Social Care Fair Pay Agreements: a Closer Look at the Policy and its Funding (October 2025). https://www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/blogs/social-care-fair-pay-agreements-a-closer-look-at-the-policy

Frozen tax thresholds will strip £1.4 billion from care workers’ take-home pay before the Fair Pay Agreement even comes into force. By 2029/30, frozen thresholds will be removing close to £1 billion from care worker pay every year, far more than the £500 million the FPA is set to deliver. Source: Care England analysis (January 2026). https://www.homecareinsight.co.uk/care-england-fiscal-drag-care-workers/

Frozen employer National Insurance thresholds will add £430 million in additional costs to care providers over four years. Source: Care England analysis (January 2026). https://www.homecareinsight.co.uk/care-england-fiscal-drag-care-workers/

A note on our sources

We rely on independent, authoritative sources wherever possible. Where figures change year on year, we update them as new data becomes available. If you’d like to suggest a correction or share new evidence, please get in touch via info@careaboutcare.org.