A new report by the McKinsey Health Institute in collaboration with the WEF (World Economic Forum) Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies, finds that while women live longer than men, they spend 25% more time in poor health. This gap is addressable, and closing it could result in an additional 7 days of healthy living per year for each woman globally. It would also boost global GDP by $1 trillion by 2040.

95% of the women’s health burden stems from conditions that affect both women and men. Female-specific conditions, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), and endometriosis, among others, account for ~5% of the women’s health burden.

In India, top 4 of the 10 conditions contributing to highest health burden for women are conditions that affect men and women similarly, namely neonatal disorders (12% of total share of female health burden), ischemic heart disease (8%), diarrhoeal diseases (7%), and lower respiratory infections (6%). Four others of the top 10 conditions were those that affect women disproportionately (namely, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, dietary iron deficiency, and low back pain).

According to the report, root causes of gaps in women’s health can be attributed to four primary areas globally: science, care delivery, investment and data.

There has been lower investment in women's health conditions relative to their prevalence. This drives a reinforcing cycle of less scientific understanding of women’s bodies and limited data to de-risk new investment.