Collectively, women lose approximately 75 million years of healthy life each year – equivalent to a week of health lost per woman annually, according to a new report highlighting persistent gaps in healthcare investment. While women and girls make up 49 percent of the global population and generally live longer than men, they spend 25 percent more of their lives in poor health or living with a disability.
The report, released jointly by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), found that investment in women’s health remains disproportionately low and narrowly concentrated on a few areas. Private healthcare funding directed at women’s health accounts for just six percent of total investment, with companies focused exclusively on women attracting less than one percent.
Trish Stroman from BCG and Shyam Bishen from WEF noted in the report that, while gender equality has progressed, “the gap between health outcomes for men and women remains substantial.” In health technology, the disparity is even wider. Analysis by international financial services firm Alantra found that women’s health companies captured only two percent of the $41.2 billion (€35.1 billion) in venture health-tech funding in 2023.
Research suggests that targeted screening and care for four key conditions in the United States – menopause, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease – could unlock more than $100 billion (€85 billion) in market value. Yet, limited funding, combined with gaps in research design, clinical data, and access to care, continues to entrench this divide. “The result is not only a public-health shortfall but a market inefficiency on a historic scale,” the report stated.
Women face a disproportionate disease burden. Conditions such as endometriosis, menopause, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and certain cancers affect women uniquely. Five gender-specific conditions – endometriosis, maternal health, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and cervical cancer – represent 14 percent of the female disease burden but have received less than one percent of research funding in recent years.
Between 2020 and 2025, private-sector healthcare funding totaled $2.87 trillion (€2.45 trillion), of which women’s health received just $175 billion (€149 billion). Funding is heavily concentrated in reproductive health, women’s cancers, and maternal care, which together account for 80 percent of identified funding events and 90 percent of capital. By contrast, conditions such as endometriosis, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome, and menstrual health received less than two percent of the women’s health budget.
The report highlights the need for stronger evidence to drive investment and innovation. Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, with Harvard Medical School researchers finding that women made up only 41.2 percent of participants in 1,433 trials, despite representing a larger share of the affected populations.
Sania Nishtar of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2026 that innovation must be paired with delivery capability and sustainable financing. “If you do not have that delivery capability and the sustainable financing, you’re unable to use innovations for the impact that they’re intended to have,” she said.
The report calls for targeted, cross-sector leadership and a deeper understanding of women’s health to translate scientific evidence into meaningful policy and care solutions.
