Global study finds women report more pain than men across all body sites
A major international research project involving data from over six million people in 118 countries between 1990 and 2025 has found that women consistently report higher levels of pain than men.
Pain levels vary by body part
Researchers measured self-reported pain across eleven specific bodily sites including the head, back, and hips. The data showed that women reported higher pain levels for every type of pain measured in the study. Headache, facial pain, and abdominal pain were particularly common among female participants compared to male participants.
Pain increases before age fifty-five
The most steep increase in reported pain occurred before people turned fifty-five years old according to the findings. Pain levels peaked at or beyond age seventy-five for both men and women. Roughly forty percent of all participants reported experiencing back pain during the study period.
Regional differences in late-life pain
People living in regions with lower Human Development Index scores showed higher prevalence of bodily pain later in life. The study covered a population ranging from five years old to over one hundred years old. Data collection took place across the globe until 2025.
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