# Heavy carers aged 40 to 65 feel less healthy

> People aged 40 to 65 who spend eight hours or more a week caring feel healthy less often than others their age, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) finds.

Society · published 2026-11-10 05:47 · https://nlnow.nl/a/heavy-informal-carers-aged-40-to-65-report-worse-health/

Men and women aged 40 to 65 who spend eight hours or more a week caring (mantelzorg) rate their health lower than people of the same age who care for less time or not at all, CBS reports. The findings come from its 2023/2025 health surveys.

Most carers are 40 or older, and more women than men provide this care, CBS says. Among men aged 40 to 65 who do a lot of caring, 57% feel healthy, against 74% of those who do little or none. Among women the figures are 62% for heavy carers, 69% for those who do none and 72% for those who do relatively little.

**Heavy carers aged 40 to 65 feel healthy less often** (% feeling healthy; source: CBS)

- Men, no care: 73.9
- Men, under 8 hours: 74.5
- Men, 8 hours or more: 56.8
- Women, no care: 68.6
- Women, under 8 hours: 71.6
- Women, 8 hours or more: 62

Among people aged 65 or older, those who care for less than eight hours a week feel healthier than those who care for more. For men, 73% of limited carers rate their health as (very) good, against 60% of heavy carers. For women the figures are 69% and 61%.

Almost 41% of women aged 40 to 65 who do limited caring report feelings of anxiety or depression. That is fewer than among women who do a lot (55%) or none (47%). CBS finds a similar gap among women aged 65 or older. Among men there is no difference between those who do a little and none, but the share is higher among men aged 40 to 65 who do a lot of caring.

In both age groups, men and women who care for eight hours or more a week feel heavily burdened more often than those who care for less. Women aged 40 to 65 who do a lot of caring feel most burdened, at just over 46%.

## Background

- **mantelzorg**: Informal care is unpaid care that family members, partners, friends or neighbours give to someone who needs help because of illness, disability or old age, such as with household tasks, personal care or emotional support. It is different from professional care, which is provided and paid for through care organisations. In the Netherlands, mantelzorg is an official term in care policy, and municipalities are responsible for supporting people who provide it.

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