Women report higher levels of pain than men across all 11 anatomical sites examined in one of the largest global studies of pain to date. Researchers analysed self-reported data from 6.1 million people across 118 countries, covering ages from five to more than 100 years.
Published in Nature Medicine, the study examined pain in areas including the head, face, neck and shoulder, back, abdomen, hip, knee, hands and feet. Women consistently reported more pain than men, with the largest differences seen for facial pain, headaches and abdominal pain.
Back pain was the most commonly reported type, affecting about 40% of participants, while facial pain was reported by around 2%. Across both sexes, pain prevalence increased most rapidly before the age of 55, suggesting that a substantial share of lifetime pain burden develops during working-age adulthood.
The researchers also found that different types of pain follow different patterns over the lifespan. Musculoskeletal pain involving the back, hip and knees generally increased with age, while high-intensity pain peaked at around 50 and generalized pain around 70 before declining.
Geography also played an important role. People in countries with lower Human Development Index scores had substantially higher levels of bodily and back pain in later life. The researchers noted that limited healthcare access, occupational exposures and other factors may contribute, although the study could not fully establish the reasons for these differences.
The authors said using self-reported pain data may provide a broader picture of pain burden, particularly in populations where access to healthcare and diagnosis is limited.

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