Published : 06 Oct 2026, 06:24 PM
Updated : 06 Oct 2026, 06:23 PM
Women suffer more pain than men across every part of the body throughout their lives, a landmark study involving nearly six million people in 118 countries has found.
The research, published in Nature Medicine, analysed self-reported pain data spanning 1990 to 2025 from people aged five to over 100, examining 11 anatomical areas including the head, back, stomach and knees, according to The Independent.
Women were 83 percent more likely than men to report facial pain, 74 percent more likely to suffer headaches, and 60 percent more likely to experience abdominal pain.
The findings renew concerns about the gender pain gap -- a well-documented pattern in which women are less likely to receive adequate pain relief and more likely to have their symptoms dismissed.
Pain patterns also shifted with age. Headaches and abdominal pain peaked earlier in life before easing, while lower body pain, including the back, hip and knee, continued to worsen over time due to cumulative physical strain, reports The Independent.
The study also found that smoking, obesity and low household income accounted for 18.3 percent of the global pain burden, rising to 27.1 percent in eastern Europe.
Researchers stressed the importance of using self-reported pain data rather than clinical diagnoses, arguing it better captures suffering among those with limited access to healthcare.
