Family and friends are the most important source of care for people with long-term care (LTC) needs in OECD countries. Because of the informal nature of care that they provide, it is not easy to get comparable data on the number of people caring for family and friends across countries, nor on the frequency of their caregiving. The data presented in this section come from national or international health surveys and refer to people aged 50 years and over who report providing care and assistance to family members and friends.
