Almost one in five (19 per cent) carers reported some form of depression compared to 13 per cent of non-carers according to research published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today.
Female carers outnumber the men, 14 per cent to 11 per cent, with one in eight people providing care for someone.
In people aged 15 and over, 80 per cent said they had more than three people they can rely on for help in the event of a serious problem, while 75 per cent said they find it easy to get help from neighbours.
Nine in 10 of those surveyed also said others show some or a lot of concern or interest in what they do.
For those over the age of 65, 40 per cent reported some degree of difficultly with doing heavy housework, but 90 per cent said they had no difficulty in managing their medication.
The data published today by the CSO is one of a three-part collection, with the surveys taking place between July 2019 and February 2020, before Covid-19 hit Ireland.
The remaining two-parts will be published on December 11th and 14th, focusing on health statuses of people with disabilities and the main findings of the study.
Coinciding with the CSO release, Trinity College Dublin has also published data on how Ireland's system of caring impacts older adults, finding the majority of assistance (70 per cent) is provided by family carers.
For adults with functional limitations (including difficulties cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, dressing, eating and bathing), the person's spouse was the primary carer in 47 per cent of cases, while paid carers represented the primary assistance for 24 per cent.
Of those who reported functional limitations but received no assistance, 18 per cent said they required help all of the time despite receiving none.
Lead researcher on the Trinity College report, Dr Christine McGarrigle said investment in supports is required to meet the growing needs.
"As the number of older people living well into their later years increases, the demand for appropriate investment to support and strengthen a multi-faceted care system is growing.
"State-provided home support can facilitate and support carers with their caregiving. What is needed is appropriate planning to ensure those who receive care will benefit and equip family caregivers with suitable support," Dr McGarrigle said.
