Global life expectancy has increased, from 30 years in 1800 to 73 years in 2018. Yet, as senior partner Kweilin Ellingrud and colleagues show, that’s not the whole picture. Women spend nine years—25 percent more time than men—in poor health, which reduces their productivity and earning potential. Closing this health gap would improve quality of life for women but could also add $1 trillion to the global economy. Effective treatment of just ten conditions could account for more than 50 percent of that economic impact. Better treatment of premenstrual syndrome and menopause combined, for example, could add about $235 billion to global GDP.
Image description:
A bar graph shows the impact on GDP in billions of dollars of closing the women’s health gap by treating the top 10 conditions affecting women, which could make up more than 50% of the economic impact. The conditions are premenstrual syndrome at $115 billion, depressive disorders at $100 billion, migraines at $80 billion, other gynecological diseases at $69 billion, anxiety disorders at $47 billion, ischemic heart disease at $43 billion, osteoarthritis at $35 billion, asthma at $24 billion, drug use disorders at $20 billion, and ovarian cancer at $17 billion. Menopause is also shown at $120 billion.
Footnote: Based on estimated numbers of women aged 45–55 (excluding peri- and postmenopausal women), multiplied by the share of symptomatic cases (92%).
Source: Endometriosis prevalence from WHO, prevalence base for GDP impact calculation from Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019).
End of image description.
To read the report, see “Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies,” January 17, 2024.