Employment

Unpaid care

About this topic

Unpaid care records whether people aged 15 years and over spent time providing unpaid help or assistance to someone because of disability, long-term illness, or problems related to old age. It captures informal care provided by family members or others in the community.

This topic is useful for understanding the demand placed on informal carers and the likely need for support services, respite, and home-based assistance. It does not measure the intensity or duration of care, so it should be read alongside need for assistance and other health and ageing indicators.

Interpretation notes

  • This records whether a person aged 15 years and over provided unpaid help or assistance in the previous two weeks because of disability, long-term illness, or old age.
  • It identifies whether care was provided, not the intensity, frequency, or number of hours of care.

Key insight

In 2021, not providing unpaid care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in North Sydney (A), accounting for 86.2% (51,891 people). This share was higher than Greater Sydney (83.2%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid care, which increased by 3,026 people and 3.5 percentage points.

Section overview

Unpaid care

North Sydney (A) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)

This table summarises unpaid care for North Sydney (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.

Unpaid care snapshot

2021 distribution by category for North Sydney (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.

North Sydney (A)
Greater Sydney

Total Provided Unpaid Assistance

2021 count

5,417

% of total

9.0%

Change from 2016

+0.5pp

Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided

2021 count

51,891

% of total

86.2%

Change from 2016

+3.5pp

Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated

2021 count

2,919

% of total

4.8%

Change from 2016

-4.1pp

Data table

Unpaid care for North Sydney (A). Unpaid care. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.

Unpaid care for North Sydney (A). Unpaid care. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Unpaid care for North Sydney (A). Unpaid care. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Category20212016Change
Count%Greater Sydney%Count%Greater Sydney%Countpp
Total Provided Unpaid Assistance5,4179.0%10.6%5,0108.5%11.1%+407+0.5pp
Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided51,89186.2%83.2%48,86582.7%80.9%+3,026+3.5pp
Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated2,9194.8%6.2%5,2398.9%8.0%-2,320-4.1pp
Total60,221100.0%100.0%59,115100.0%100.0%+1,1060.0pp