A major global study has found that women report more pain than men across every body site measured, adding weight to concerns about the gender pain gap. The gap also means women are less likely to receive the pain relief they need.
Published in Nature Medicine, the study drew on data from more than 6 million people in 118 countries between 1990 and 2025. Participants ranged from five years old to over 100. The researchers described it as one of the largest harmonisation efforts in pain epidemiology to date.