UNPAID care work in Scotland is worth £36 billion a year, research from Oxfam suggests, with people in deprived areas doing more.
The analysis compared unpaid care work with current rates of pay in equivalent sectors to calculate the estimate.
Those living in or at risk of poverty tend to spend more hours caring, with the Scottish Government estimating 45% in the most deprived areas of the country care for 35 hours a week or more, almost double the level in the least deprived areas.
The YouGov poll of more than 1,000 people found 81% of people in Scotland think carers are not valued enough.
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The poll and analysis were published ahead of the Scottish budget and the annual World Economic Forum in Davos this week, with the charity saying a "broken worldwide economy" has concentrated wealth into the hands of a rich few by "exploiting the unpaid labour of millions".
Oxfam said additional investment is needed to better value unpaid care work in Scotland, arguing such funds could create more and better jobs, lift people out of poverty and reduce inequality.
Rhiannon Sims, research and policy officer at the charity, said unpaid care work is "too often undervalued by society which can trap those who are providing it - very often women - in poverty".
"If political leaders, whether at Davos this week or at UK or Scotland levels, are serious about reducing poverty and inequality, they urgently need to invest more resources to ensure this major contribution to our economy and society is recognised and better valued," she said.
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Fiona Collie, policy and public affairs manager at Carers Scotland, said carers face poorer health, greater poverty and more isolation than non-carers, and called for more investment in "high quality, flexible social care".
A Scottish Government spokesman said it had provided £17.4 million to local authorities in 2018-19 to support carers and an additional £10.5 million this year.
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