With people living longer than ever before, the UK’s ageing population is having a huge impact on social care provision, including an increased need for care home spaces.
Below are some of the most common questions people ask about UK care home statistics.
Page contents
- At a glance
- At a glance
- How many care homes are there in the UK?
- Care home population: How many people live in care homes in the UK?
- How many care home residents are funded by their local authority?
- Care home provision
- How many people with dementia in the UK live in care homes?
- Number of people working in care homes
- Care home population forecast
- FAQs
Page contents
- At a glance
- At a glance
- How many care homes are there in the UK?
- Care home population: How many people live in care homes in the UK?
- How many care home residents are funded by their local authority?
- Care home provision
- How many people with dementia in the UK live in care homes?
- Number of people working in care homes
- Care home population forecast
- FAQs
At a glance
At a glance
- Size of care sector: There are around 16,500 care homes across the UK, with roughly 70% providing residential care and 30% offering nursing care.
- High resident population: Nearly 441,000 people live in UK care homes, with the majority based in England.
- Dementia care demand: Around 70% of care home residents are estimated to have dementia or severe memory problems, highlighting growing specialist care needs.
- Workforce and future pressure: The UK care home workforce is close to 788,000 people, and forecasts suggest an additional 144,000 care home beds will be needed over the next decade.
How many care homes are there in the UK?
There are about 16,566 care homes in the UK. Around 70 per cent of care homes offer residential care, while nursing homes make up around 30 per cent of the total number of care homes.
| UK | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
| Total | 16,444 | 13,975 | 1,010 | 952 | 415 |
| Residential care homes | 11,375 | 9,930 | 765 | 439 | 181 |
| Nursing homes | 5,069 | 4,045 | 245 | 513 | 234 |
Care home population: How many people live in care homes in the UK?
The most recent data shows that nearly half a million people live in care homes in the UK.
| UK | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 441,479 | 372,035 | 24,178 | 33,352 | 11,914 |
| Source | ONS 2023 | Statista 2022 | PHS 2022 | DoH 2023 |
How many care home residents are funded by their local authority?
| UK | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
| Total | 226,319 | 181,965 | 16,144 | 28,210 | |
| Source | DHSC 2023 | Audit Wales 2021 | Scottish government 2024 |
Care home provision
Care homes across the UK provide care for different requirements. Where some will specialise in one area, others are multi-disciplinary, catering for residents with a range of needs.
| UK | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | |
| Older person care | 10,453 | 8,830 | 559 | 759 | 305 |
| Learning disability | 6,449 | 5,557 | 475 | 273 | 144 |
| Dementia | 9,776 | 8,371 | 461 | 731 | 213 |
Funding
Old age/elderly care homes consistently have the highest amount of self-funders (people who pay for their own care) than other types of care home.
In 2023, just under 50 per cent of residents in old age/elderly care homes were self-funders compared to 2 per cent of residents living in care homes for young adults.
Source: ONS
How many people with dementia in the UK live in care homes?
Around 70 per cent of all care home residents have dementia or severe memory problems, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Using the care home population figure above, an estimated 309,035 people living in a residential or nursing home in the UK have some form of dementia.
Number of people working in care homes
The UK care home workforce totals around 750,000 people.
| UK | England (2024) | Wales (2022) | Scotland (2022) | Northern Ireland (2021) | |
| Total | 787,992 | 692,600 | 29,100 | 51,040 | 15,252 |
| Source | Skills for Care | Social Care Wales | SSSC | Health NI |
Care home population forecast
Savills predicts UK will need an additional 144,000 care home beds over the next 10 years to keep pace with population growth.
Since 2020, around half of all new care homes have been built in London and in the south and east of England.
Only 15% of new care home beds have been built in Northern England.
Scotland and Wales have also seen fairly limited investment.
You can read about trends in residential care in our Care home trends article.
FAQs
How many care homes are there in the UK?
There are just under 17,000 care homes across the UK, with the majority being located in England. About 70 per cent of these are residential care homes, while the remaining 30 per cent are nursing homes.
How many people live in care homes?
The UK care home population is over 400,000. Around 85 per cent of care home residents live in residential settings in England.
How many people in the UK with dementia live in care homes?
It is estimated that approximately 70 per cent of all care home residents have some form of dementia or severe memory problems.
How many people work in care homes?
The UK care home workforce totals just under 750,000 people. Over 600,000 of these work in residential and nursing homes in England.
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