Groundbreaking Global Study Reveals Women Experience More Physical Pain Than Men Across 118 Countries

Physical pain is a universal human experience, yet how men and women perceive and experience it has long been a subject of medical curiosity. A major global study has now brought to light startling facts regarding the differences in pain experienced by women and men.

Published recently in the 'Nature Medicine' journal, this extensive global research stands as one of the largest studies in the field of pain epidemiology. It analyzed data collected between 1990 and 2025 from over 6 million individuals across 118 countries, encompassing participants ranging from 5-year-old children to centenarians.

Higher Pain Levels Across 11 Body Regions in Women

Researchers examined pain across 11 major anatomical sites, including the head, face, neck/shoulder, arm/wrist, elbow, chest, abdomen, back, hip, leg, ankle, and knee. The findings revealed that women reported higher levels of pain than men across all 11 regions. The gender disparity was particularly pronounced in cases of headaches, facial pain, and abdominal pain.

The Neglect of Women's Pain

According to Prof. Andrew Horne from the University of Edinburgh and Prof. Rebecca Slater from Oxford University, this research serves as concrete evidence of the 'gender pain gap.' The study also highlighted that women's pain is frequently dismissed, underestimated, or inadequately treated with analgesics in clinical settings.

Age, Lifestyle, and Socioeconomic Factors

The study observed that pain levels increased prior to age 55 in both genders, peaking around the age of 75. Furthermore, approximately 18.3% of the global burden of pain is linked to three major social and health factors: smoking, obesity, and poverty. Elderly individuals residing in regions with a low Human Development Index (HDI) suffer from lower back pain at nearly double the rate of those in wealthier areas.