Global Study Finds Women Report More Pain Than Men Across the Body

A major global study involving more than six million people has found that women report experiencing more pain than men across every part of the body examined.

The research, published in Nature Medicine, analyzed self-reported pain data from 6,125,459 people across 118 countries and territories. The participants ranged in age from five to more than 100, with data collected between 1990 and 2025.

A Difference Seen Across the Entire Body

Researchers examined pain at 11 anatomical sites, including the head, face, neck and shoulder, back, stomach, hips and knees.

Women consistently reported higher levels of pain than men at all 11 sites. The largest differences were found in facial pain, headaches and abdominal pain.

The researchers said the findings provide some of the clearest evidence yet that the difference in pain burden between women and men is widespread rather than limited to particular medical conditions.

Pain Rises Most Quickly Before Midlife

The study also found that pain does not simply increase steadily with age. Across many types of pain, the fastest rise occurred before the age of 55.

Back, hip and knee pain generally continued to increase through adulthood, while some other forms of pain, including headaches and abdominal pain, reached their highest levels earlier in life before declining.

High-intensity pain peaked at around age 50, while generalized pain reached its highest levels at about age 70.

A Global Difference in Health

The researchers also found major differences between regions. Older people in countries with lower levels of human development experienced substantially higher rates of bodily pain than people in countries with higher levels of development.

For low back pain, the difference became particularly pronounced in older age. The researchers said the findings highlight the need for better global monitoring of pain, especially in populations that have historically been underrepresented in health research.

Why the Findings Matter

Pain is one of the world’s leading causes of disability, yet it can be difficult to measure because there is no single biological test that can objectively determine how much pain a person feels.

The study relied on people’s own reports of pain, allowing researchers to capture experiences that may not appear in medical records, particularly among people with limited access to healthcare.

The authors said the new global reference data could help researchers and health systems better understand when pain develops, which populations are most affected and where prevention and treatment should be strengthened.

Source: Nature Medicine and The Guardian