Women report experiencing higher levels of pain across every single bodily site studied compared to men, according to a major global study published in Nature Medicine. The international research effort analyzed data from more than 6 million people across 118 countries, spanning from 1990 to 2025, and documented self-reported pain in individuals aged five years to over 100, The Guardian reported.
Global Study Analyzes 6 Million People Across 118 Countries
The research represents one of the largest harmonization efforts in pain epidemiology to date. Scientists compiled individual participant data from population-based national, regional, and international health studies conducted over a 35-year period. The McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics Board approved the pooled analysis, which utilized deidentified individual-level data obtained through public repositories and data-transfer agreements.
The study analyzed self-reported pain in 11 particular areas of the body: the knee, hip, stomach or abdomen, back, chest, elbow, hand or wrist, foot or ankle, neck or shoulder, face, and head. The data showed that women reported higher pain prevalence than men across all 11 locations. The most pronounced differences between the sexes involved headache, facial pain, and abdominal pain.
Lifespan Trajectories Show Pain Peaks in Mid-to-Late Adulthood
For both men and women, the prevalence of pain increased most sharply before age 55, rather than climbing steadily throughout life as commonly assumed. Pain then reached peak levels at or beyond age 75. About 40% of participants reported back pain, while facial pain was the rarest at 2%.
Different types of pain followed distinct trajectories across the human lifespan. Headache, abdominal pain, and facial pain peaked earlier in life and subsequently declined. In contrast, musculoskeletal pain generally increased with age. Upper body musculoskeletal pain, including the neck, shoulder, and elbow, peaked around middle age before declining. Lower body pain, including the back, hip, and knee, continued to increase throughout life, aligning with accumulated mechanical and degenerative strain on weight-bearing joints.
Socioeconomic Disparities Drive Regional Differences in Pain Burden
The study identified a striking global inequality linked to a country’s level of development. Individuals living in regions with the lowest Human Development Index scores experienced a substantially higher prevalence of bodily pain in late life, with low back pain rates nearly twice as high among older adults compared to higher-development areas.
Researchers estimated that 18.3% of the global burden of pain was attributable to smoking, obesity, and low household income. This attributable fraction varied geographically, ranging from 12.6% in parts of sub-Saharan Africa to 27.1% in Eastern Europe. In Oceania, 6.6% of pain was linked to smoking, compared to 2.5% in sub-Saharan Africa and 8.5% in Eastern Europe. Obesity accounted for 11.2% of pain in Oceania, versus 2.7% in central and southern Asia and 14.6% in North America. Lower incomes accounted for 8% of pain in Oceania, compared to 6.6% in sub-Saharan Africa and 8.6% in Eastern Europe.
Experts Urge Clinicians to Take Women’s Pain Seriously
According to Professor Andrew Horne, director of the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, this landmark study demonstrates that women suffer more pain than men at every body site that was analyzed.
The findings emphasized that pain in women is more prone to being undertreated, diagnosed late, or ignored. “The troubling paradox is that women experience more pain, yet their pain is also more likely to be dismissed, diagnosed late or undertreated,” the study noted, adding that the increased pain burden for women is strikingly consistent across the body and within a highly diverse global population.
Frequently Asked Questions About Global Pain Research
What are the limitations of this global pain study?
The study authors noted that different studies used varying methods to assess pain, and coverage of different geographic regions as well as the youngest and oldest age groups was uneven. The analysis examined different age groups at a single point in time rather than tracking the exact same individuals over a long period.
What factors explain the differences in pain rates across countries?
Well-established risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and low household income explained 18.3% of the global pain burden overall. However, researchers noted that these factors only accounted for part of the wider gap observed in lower-development countries, leaving other contributing drivers uncertain.
Which bodily pain types are most common globally?
About 40% of all study participants reported back pain. Facial pain was the least common, reported by only 2% of respondents.
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