Blueprint to Close the Women%E2%80%99s Health Gap 2025

Introduction Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies, published in 2024 by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute, reported that the women’s health gap correlates with women living in poor health for 25% more of their lives when compared to men. Closing the women’s health gap could yield 75 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) annually – the equivalent of adding seven healthy days per year, per woman – and unlock $1 trillion in annual global GDP by 2040. Now is the time for stakeholders to address drivers of the gap and improve the lives of women, communities and economies around the world. (For more on how this report defines women’s health, see “Terminology”.) This year’s report provides a blueprint for developing a comprehensive, global view of women’s health and illuminates opportunities to help close the gap. The report examines nine selected conditions that account for a third of the women’s health gap, with analyses spanning 15 countries representing all income levels. The selected conditions depict a mix of conditions that are specific to women, affect women disproportionately or affect women differently from men. Five of the conditions limit women’s lifespan, leading to early death, and four impair women’s health span, often causing significant distress and resulting in women living extended years in disability. Selected conditions, in order of annual potential estimated gains in DALYs and GDP if the women’s health gap is closed by 2040, prevalence rate, incidence rate and Global Alliance for Women’s Health members’ expert recommendations are below. For further details on this selection process, please refer to the technical appendix. Conditions that affect lifespan –Ischaemic heart disease –Cervical cancer –Breast cancer –Maternal hypertensive disorder –Post-partum haemorrhage Conditions that affect health span –Menopause –Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) –Migraine –Endometriosis Examining these conditions highlights potential opportunities for immediate progress and actions needed to close the women’s health gap over time. These actions can be explored with the following framework: 1. Count women, by improving data collection methodologies and setting standards for sex- and gender-based data collection to increase understanding of women’s health. 2. Study women, by conducting research into women’s health and the drivers of sex-based differences, sex-disaggregating analyses and supporting basic science and clinical research that focuses on conditions specific to women across their lifespan. 3. Care for women, by adopting clinical practice guidelines that align with the accepted evidence for sex- and gender-based care and by enhancing clinical education and care delivery systems needed to effectively implement them. 4. Include all women in initiatives and progress, with a lens on heath equity and inclusion. 5. Invest in women, by funnelling resources towards women’s health, from the bench to the bedside and beyond, to accelerate progress; and by supporting women in leadership positions across health and social systems.Women experience massive health inequities and poor health outcomes worldwide – and the global economy suffers as a result. Blueprint to Close the Women’s Health Gap: How to Improve Lives and Economies for All 6