Bridging the Women’s Health Gap: A $400 Billion Opportunity
A WEF report, in partnership with McKinsey Health Institute, highlights that addressing women's health issues could boost global GDP by $400 billion annually by 2040. The research focuses on nine health conditions, urging for better data, research, and innovations for gender-specific healthcare solutions.

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A groundbreaking report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), in partnership with the McKinsey Health Institute, emphasizes the economic potential of addressing women-specific health challenges, estimating a $400 billion annual boost to global GDP by 2040. Titled 'Blueprint to Close the Women's Health Gap: How to Improve Lives and Economies for All', the report uncovers the transformative effects of closing this gap.
The study pinpoints nine critical health conditions, affecting lifespan and health span, that could significantly reduce the global disease burden. These conditions include maternal hypertensive disorders, postpartum hemorrhage, ischemic heart disease, cervical and breast cancers, endometriosis, menopause, migraine, and premenstrual syndrome. Addressing these could add 2.5 healthy days annually for every woman, reducing disability-adjusted life years by 27 million each year.
In its efforts to eliminate health disparities, the Forum has launched the Women's Health Impact Tracking (WHIT) platform, a publicly accessible tool monitoring health inequities and promoting scalable, data-driven solutions worldwide. The WHIT platform addresses underfunded conditions like menopause, premenstrual syndrome, and migraine, offering a $315 billion GDP opportunity. Shyam Bishen of WEF expressed the need for sex-specific research, with only 10% of trials for ischemic heart disease and migraine involving such data.
Lucy Perez of McKinsey emphasized the need to study, care for, and invest in women, urging stakeholders to focus on data collection, funding for female-specific research, and healthcare solutions. Anita Zaidi from the Gates Foundation highlighted that healthier women strengthen families, workplaces, and economies, yet profound gender gaps persist in research. Addressing these gaps, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where much of the women's health burden lies, could dramatically improve health outcomes and unlock economic potential.
(With inputs from agencies.)