OBJECTIVES: Caregivers of people with schizophrenia experience economic and humanistic burden which not only affects their quality of life (QoL) and functioning, but also compromises the continuity of care to the patients. The goal is to provide a comprehensive review of studies that have assessed the caregiver burden and to identify instruments that measure caregiver burden in schizophrenia. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted from January 2000 - December 2010 using a number of medical databases. Studies assessing caregiver burden were identified after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. In addition, the review also identified instruments along with their psychometric evaluation. Clinical and review studies were excluded from the systematic review. RESULTS: The review yielded 22 studies that focused on psychoeducational interventions designed for caregivers, predictors, mediators and consequences of caregiver burden, and cultural/ethnic differences in caregiving.  The most important predictors of caregiver burden were contact time with the patient, cohabitation with the patient, and coping styles of the caregiver. The consequences of caregiver burden were mostly psychosocial in nature. The review also yielded 13 instruments (1 generic, 12 condition-specific). The most common domains included impact on daily life/household tasks, social life, psychological well-being, economic burden, time constraints imposed and relationship with healthcare professionals. A review of the psychometric properties of these instruments indicated good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 0.6 – 0.94). However, responsiveness of the instruments was not discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers play a crucial role in the management of schizophrenia and with the increasing recognition of caregiver burden, it is important for healthcare professionals to consider the health and well-being of caregivers.  Understanding the nature and extent of caregiver burden will facilitate the development of appropriate interventions that can help improve caregivers’ quality of life (QoL) and functioning.