Census Unpaid Carers Multiple Datapoints - Birmingham Wards

This dataset presents ward-level data on unpaid carers in Birmingham, drawn from the 2021 Census. It shows the number and proportion of residents providing unpaid care across all 69 Birmingham wards, and breaks down the caring population by a range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. This makes it a key resource for understanding the profile and distribution of unpaid caring across the city. ## What is an unpaid carer? The 2021 Census defined an unpaid carer as someone who provides unpaid care, help or support to a family member, friend, neighbour or other person due to long-term physical or mental ill-health, disability, or problems related to old age. This excludes care provided as part of paid employment. Respondents who identified as unpaid carers were asked to indicate how many hours per week they provided care: 19 or fewer hours, 20 to 49 hours, or 50 or more hours. ## What does the dataset contain? Each row represents one Birmingham ward. The 51 columns cover the following variable groups: * Unpaid carer count and prevalence – the total number of unpaid carers in the ward and their share of the ward population, broken down by hours of care provided per week. * Sex – counts and percentages of male and female unpaid carers. * Age – counts and percentages across seven age bands (0–15, 16–17, 18–24, 25–34, 35–49, 50–64, 65 and over), plus summary groups for young carers (0–15), young transitioning carers (16–17), and adult carers (18 and over). * Ethnicity – percentage breakdown across five broad ethnic groups: White, Asian, Black, Mixed, and Other ethnic group. * Religion – percentage breakdown across nine categories: Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Other religion, No religion, and Not answered. * Disability – count and percentage of unpaid carers who also have a disability themselves, with a further breakdown by weekly hours of care provided. * Economic activity and employment – the proportions of unpaid carers who are economically active or inactive, and within those in work, the split between employed and unemployed. ## Geography Data are presented at Birmingham ward level using the 2023 ward boundaries, which define 69 wards across the city. Wards are identified by name only; where geographic mapping is required, ward names should be matched to the corresponding ONS ward codes for the 2023 boundary set. ## Source and methodology The underlying data are sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2021 Census for England and Wales. The dataset has been transformed and restructured by Birmingham City Council’s Data and Intelligence team from the original Census outputs to produce a ward-level analytical dataset suitable for use in dashboards and research. Percentages are calculated as a proportion of all unpaid carers in the ward unless otherwise stated. ## Limitations * Census data is self-reported and subject to the usual caveats of respondent interpretation and non-response. * Small counts in some wards and some demographic groups may make individual cell percentages unreliable or subject to disclosure control. * The dataset reflects a single point in time (Census night, 21 March 2021) and does not capture changes in the unpaid carer population since that date. ## Related datasets This dataset complements other 2021 Census releases available on the City Observatory covering population, health, disability, and economic activity at ward level. It may also be used alongside local authority data on social care, health needs assessments, and the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnership outcomes framework.