How to unlock US$400 billion annually for the global economy by closing women’s health gap

Lucy Perez, Correspondent

Historically, women’s health has been chronically under-prioritised and under-invested. Glaring gaps in data availability, care delivery and efficacy of treatment have left millions suffering and many opportunities unrealised.

A new report and the accompanying metrics dashboard from the Women’s Health Impact Tracking Platform — a collaboration between the Global Alliance for Women’s Health at the World Economic Forum and the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) — shows that nine health conditions account for 35 percent of women’s disease burden.

Addressing these nine women’s health conditions could yield profound benefits — not just for women but for the global economy, according to the research. In addition to reducing women’s global disease burden by 27 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) annually and adding the equivalent of 2,5 healthy days per woman each year worldwide, this approach could also boost the global economy by US$400 billion by 2040. The economic benefits would come from having a larger, healthier and more productive female labour force.

These conditions can be grouped according to their impact on lifespan, which is when treatment can extend life expectancy, and health span, which is when treatment improves the quality and vitality of day-to-day life. Addressing these nine conditions provides a blueprint for other conditions, accelerating the journey to close the women’s health gap and build stronger economies.
Women’s health conditions that affect lifespan

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death among women, claiming over four million lives annually. In fact, women are more likely than men to die from acute cardiovascular events, and there are stark disparities in treatment and outcomes between men and women. The research shows that closing this gap could prevent 1,6 million years of life lost in the United States alone and add US$43 billion annually to the global economy.

Cervical cancer disproportionately affects women in low and middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs), where 85 percent of deaths from this disease occur. Addressing this gap could generate US$10 billion annually in global Gross Domestic Product by reducing mortality and long-term health complications.

Similarly, enhancing early detection, treatment access and equity in care for breast cancer within and between nations could prevent over a million DALYs annually and contribute US$8,7 billion to global GDP.

Maternal hypertensive disorders are high blood pressure-related complications, which are a leading cause of maternal deaths. Reducing these risks could prevent 70 000 maternal deaths annually and yield US$1,4 billion in economic gains.

Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) is also a leading cause of maternal mortality that disproportionately affects women in LICs and LMICs. Addressing systemic barriers, including access to skilled healthcare, could prevent 70 000 deaths annually and contribute US$200 million to the global economy.
Women’s health conditions that affect health span

Menopause symptoms affect 450 million women globally, with long-term health implications including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and neurological conditions. Improved diagnosis and treatment of symptoms could add an estimated US$120 billion annually to global GDP.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects 20 to 40 percent of women of reproductive age, which can lead to productivity losses and educational disruptions. Addressing its effects could unlock an estimated US$115 billion annually in economic gains.

Migraines affect 21 percent of women globally. They often have a hormonal component and can lead to significant disability. Reducing the burden of migraines could add an estimated US$80 billion annually to the global economy.

Finally, endometriosis affects an estimated 190 million women, often causing chronic pain, infertility and depression. Effective treatments and earlier diagnosis could prevent 250 000 DALYs annually and contribute an estimated US$12 billion to global GDP. This number is likely to be significantly more because the research report uncovered a data gap due to the undercounting of endometriosis cases.

Addressing these conditions will require transformative change across healthcare systems, research, investment and societal structures. This research offers a blueprint that could scale and be tailored to suit other countries and additional conditions impacting women and their health.

The ultimate goal would be to provide a comprehensive view of women’s health worldwide and inspire governments, businesses, academic institutions and investors to act. Here’s what these stakeholders can do:

Count women: Improve data collection
Accurate data is critical to understanding the true burden of these conditions, but significant gaps exist, particularly in LICs and LMICs. For example, data discrepancies exist for the reporting of the number of women with endometriosis. Sources range between 24 million and 190 million women with endometriosis, and this number is likely higher when accounting for under-diagnosis. These discrepancies are even greater in LICs and LMICs, where a lack of modern data infrastructures can lead to missed opportunities for data capture.
Study women: Prioritise research on women’s health
Women are not just “smaller men”. Studying how medications affect men and women differently is crucial for effective treatment. Yet, only around 10 percent of clinical trials for key women’s health conditions such as IHD and migraine report sex-specific data, according to our research. This leaves critical gaps in understanding women’s unique health needs.
Further, while 54 percent of the women’s health burden is in LMICs, only 23 percent of clinical trials for these nine conditions focus on these regions, our research shows. Sex-disaggregated analysis and basic science research into hormone health and female biology could help reveal how conditions affect women disproportionately or differently, and inform improved solutions.
Care for women: Deliver sex and gender-based healthcare
Healthcare systems must be redesigned to meet women’s unique needs. This includes updating clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to offer standardised recommendations for healthcare professionals to acknowledge sex-based differences. CPGs could be enhanced to reflect women-specific evidence, particularly for conditions that affect women’s health span. This means creating CPGs for women-specific conditions such as endometriosis and menopause and accounting for sex-specific differences in the CPGs for conditions that affect both men and women, such as IHD.
Invest in women: Fund women’s healthcare research
Women’s health priorities are severely under-funded in relation to their health burden. For example, PMS, menopause, maternal health conditions, cervical cancer and endometriosis make up 14 percent of women’s health burden but received less than one percent of cumulative research funding between 2019 and 2023 for the 64 conditions driving the women’s health gap, according to research.
Closing the women’s health gap will require governments, businesses, academic institutions and investors to facilitate sustained investment in public health education. This should be channelled into raising awareness and reducing stigma, developing innovative diagnostics and treatments, and creating public-private partnerships to expand access to care and improve health outcomes. Employers also have a key role to play in ensuring workplace culture values flexibility and caretaking so women can join and advance in the global workforce.
Include women: Tackle disparities in care
Health disparities based on race, ethnicity, geography and socioeconomic status exacerbate the women’s health gap. Stakeholders should promote health equity through inclusive policies and programmes and by ensuring countries are on track to meet their targets on access to vaccines, screenings and treatments. Digital health can also help. For example, platforms could connect pregnant women to community drivers and local ambulances for emergency transport during labour.
Investing in women’s health is not just a moral imperative — it is an economic one as well. Improved health outcomes for women lead to better health for them, their families and their communities, while also unlocking unprecedented economic potential and building stronger economies. – World Economic Forum