Women experience more pain throughout the body than men, according to a major international study, adding to growing concerns about the gender gap in pain recognition and treatment. The research analysed data from 6.1 million people across 118 countries and territories collected between 1990 and 2025.
Researchers found that women reported higher levels of pain than men across all 11 body regions examined, including the head, face, neck, shoulders, chest, back, abdomen, hips, knees, hands and feet. The biggest differences were observed in facial pain, headaches and abdominal pain.
According to the study, Global and regional reference curves for pain across the lifespan in 6.1 million individuals in 118 countries, women were more likely than men to report pain in every body area assessed.
Pain rises with age
The study found that pain prevalence increased most sharply before the age of 55 for both men and women, suggesting that a significant share of the global pain burden develops during working-age adulthood. Back, hip and knee pain continued to increase with age and generally reached their highest levels after the age of 75.
Back pain was the most commonly reported condition, affecting around 40% of participants, while facial pain was the least common at roughly 2%.
Geography also matters
Researchers found that people living in countries with lower levels of human development experienced significantly higher levels of pain later in life.
Among older adults, the prevalence of bodily pain was substantially higher in lower-development countries, while lower-back pain was reported at almost twice the rate compared with higher-development regions.
Risk factors
The study estimated that 18.3% of the global pain burden could be linked to smoking, obesity and low household income, although the impact varied by region.
Researchers call for greater focus on women's pain
Professor Andrew Horne of the University of Edinburgh described the findings as strong evidence that the gender pain gap is "real, consistent and global", noting that women continue to experience higher levels of pain while often receiving less attention and treatment.
Professor Rebecca Slater of the University of Oxford said the study highlights a troubling paradox, with women experiencing more pain while also being more likely to have their symptoms overlooked, diagnosed later or treated inadequately.
The authors noted several limitations, including differences in pain measurement across studies and uneven geographic coverage, but said these did not alter the overall patterns identified.
Source: LiFO
