Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and EconomiesI N S I G H T R E P O R TJ A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4In collaboration with the McKinsey Health InstituteImages: Getty Images© 2024 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders.ContentsForeword 3Executive summary 4Introduction 51. The role of science in addressing health disparities 92. Data gaps underestimate women’s health burden, limiting innovation and investment 133. Creating sex- and gender-responsive care delivery systems 164. Directing investments towards women’s health 205. Closing the women’s health gap could boost the global economy 246. Call to action: How to close the women’s health gap 30Conclusion 34Contributors 35Endnotes 36Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies2ForewordLucy Pérez Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company; Affiliated Leader, McKinsey Health Institute, USAShyam Bishen Head, Centre for Health and Healthcare; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic ForumClosing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and EconomiesJanuary 2024Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies3For all the efforts to improve gender equity over the past century, the gap between men’s health and women’s health remains wide, whether it’s in research, data, care or investment.And every person on the planet is affected by the women’s health gap, whether they know it or not. When we consider the impact of closing the gap, we are not just talking about women’s lives, but those of people we love, our communities and the world at large. We know it’s possible to reach equity in health for men and women. In this report, Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies, we’re pleased to showcase how the narrowing of the women’s health gap would allow 3.9 billion women to live healthier, higher-quality lives. It could also allow at least $1 trillion to be pumped into economic productivity annually, which reflects how narrowing the gap would lead to fewer early deaths, fewer health conditions, extended economic and societal capacity to contribute, and increased productivity. Of that, th...
