Pain is not experienced equally across the population, across the body, or across the lifespan. A major international analysis suggests that women report pain more often than men at every body site studied, while the steepest rise in pain prevalence occurs before the age of 55.
The research, published in Nature Medicine, analysed self-reported pain data from more than 6.1 million people in 118 countries. It provides one of the broadest views yet of how pain changes from childhood to very old age.
It also identifies smoking, obesity, and low household income as factors associated with a greater burden of pain.
“Women reported a higher prevalence of pain than men across every one of these areas. The greatest differences were seen in facial pain, headache, and stomach or abdominal pain”
Back pain was the most common complaint, affecting around 40% of participants. Facial pain was the least common, reported by approximately 2%. The findings go beyond individual injuries or aches. They indicate a global pattern in which sex, age, lifestyle, and social circumstances may influence who is most likely to live with pain.
Pain, especially lower back pain, is already recognised as one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Yet comparing pain across countries and age groups has been difficult. Research studies often use different definitions, questions, and measurement methods. That can make it difficult to identify when pain begins to rise or which groups may benefit most from prevention.
The new study sought to reduce that problem through a standardised approach. Researchers examined data collected between 1990 and 2025 from 6,125,459 people aged from 5 to over 100 years. Women accounted for 55% of participants.
People were asked about pain in 11 sites: the head, face, neck or shoulder, foot or ankle, hand or wrist, elbow, chest, back, stomach or abdomen, hip, and knee.
Women reported a higher prevalence of pain than men across every one of these areas. The greatest differences were seen in facial pain, headache, and stomach or abdominal pain.
The reasons are unlikely to be simple. Biological factors may play a part, including hormones, inflammation, and differences in pain-processing pathways. Social and occupational pressures may also matter.
Women may encounter particular physical demands through employment, caregiving, pregnancy, childbirth, and unpaid domestic work. Differences in healthcare access and the risk of symptoms being overlooked may further contribute.
Reporting behaviour could also affect the results. Some men may be less likely to describe pain or seek medical advice. That does not undermine the findings. It underlines the challenge of studying pain, which is personal and shaped by the nervous system, physical health, mental wellbeing, culture, and life circumstances.
Age was another important pattern. Pain became more common across the lifespan, with the fastest increase taking place before age 55. The rise was especially evident in musculoskeletal areas such as the hips, back, and knees.
“The results show how widespread pain becomes with age. About 30% of children aged 5 reported pain somewhere in the body. Among people aged 100 or older, the figure approached 70%”
This may have implications for prevention. By middle age, many people have spent years sitting for long periods, working in physically demanding roles, commuting, sleeping poorly, or becoming less active. Weight gain can add further strain. At the same time, muscles, joints, connective tissues, and spinal discs naturally become less resilient.
Back pain was particularly prominent. It was the most frequently reported pain site in the study. Experts not involved in the analysis noted that prolonged sitting, reduced physical activity, poor posture, and extended use of computers and mobile devices may all place added pressure on the spine.
“Smoking, obesity, and low household income together accounted for an estimated 18.3% of the global pain burden across all body sites”
Age-related changes may worsen the problem. Spinal discs lose water content and elasticity over time. This can leave them more susceptible to degeneration, bulging, and herniation. Smoking and excess body weight may accelerate these processes. Weakness in the muscles supporting the back, hips, and core can also increase strain.
The researchers did not only examine pain in individual body parts. They also assessed three broader pain measures: any bodily pain, high-intensity pain, and generalised pain.
Any bodily pain referred to pain in at least one of the sites measured. High-intensity pain was defined as an average score of 7 or more out of 10. Generalised pain meant pain in four of five body regions, following spatial criteria used in fibromyalgia assessment.
The results show how widespread pain becomes with age. About 30% of children aged 5 reported pain somewhere in the body. Among people aged 100 or older, the figure approached 70%.
Not every pain pattern was the same. Any bodily pain increased progressively throughout life. High-intensity pain and generalised pain rose into mid-to-late adulthood, then declined among the oldest participants. High-intensity pain appeared to peak at about age 50. Generalised pain peaked at around age 70.
The study cannot determine exactly why these rates later fall. People with more severe illness may be less likely to reach very old age. Older adults may describe symptoms differently, adapt their activity, or experience changes in pain sensitivity. The decline does not mean pain becomes unimportant in later life. Many older people still experience severe symptoms, reduced mobility, poor sleep, and loss of independence.
The findings on modifiable risk factors were also notable. Smoking, obesity, and low household income together accounted for an estimated 18.3% of the global pain burden across all body sites.
Current smokers had a modest but persistent increase in pain prevalence from adolescence until around age 65. The strongest association was seen with facial pain. Smoking can impair circulation and healing. It may influence inflammation and pain sensitivity. It is also associated with poorer spinal health and a greater likelihood of musculoskeletal problems.
Obesity was increasingly linked with pain from early adulthood. The strongest associations occurred in weight-bearing areas, including the knees, hips, feet, and ankles. Carrying extra weight increases physical load on these joints. The relationship is broader than mechanics alone, however. Obesity is linked with inflammation, sleep disruption, reduced mobility, metabolic changes, and depression. Each can affect how pain develops and persists.
Lower household income was associated with greater pain prevalence at every site from early adulthood onwards. The strongest difference involved chest pain. People in the lowest household income group were more than twice as likely to report chest pain as people in the highest income group. The gap was most apparent during midlife and narrowed at older ages.
Income does not directly explain every case of pain. It may reflect exposure to multiple risks, including physically demanding work, insecure employment, poor housing, limited access to healthcare, financial pressure, and fewer opportunities for exercise or recovery. Long-term stress can affect sleep, mood, muscle tension, and the nervous system’s response to pain.
Chest pain needs particular care. It can be caused by muscle strain, anxiety, indigestion, lung conditions, or heart disease. Severe, sudden, persistent, or unexplained chest pain needs urgent medical assessment, especially if it occurs with breathlessness, sweating, nausea, fainting, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, neck, or back.
The research identifies associations rather than proving direct cause and effect. People can develop persistent pain after injury, surgery, infection, arthritis, neurological disorders, or other illnesses, regardless of lifestyle. Equally, people with recognised risk factors may not have chronic pain.
The results nevertheless reinforce the value of prevention and early support. Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, strengthening muscles, and reducing prolonged inactivity may help protect the joints and spine. Regular activity, adapted to a person’s health and ability, can support mobility, circulation, sleep, and mood.
Medication is not the only option for managing pain. Experts emphasise the potential role of appropriately paced exercise, physiotherapy, good sleep, breathing exercises, mindfulness, and behavioural approaches. These methods do not imply that pain is imaginary. They reflect the fact that pain is regulated by the nervous system and influenced by injury, inflammation, stress, activity, sleep, and social conditions.
Medicines may be appropriate in some cases, though treatment should be personalised and regularly reviewed with a clinician. Non-opioid and non-drug options can form an important part of a comprehensive plan. The goal is not simply to lower a pain score. It is to protect movement, independence, work, rest, and quality of life.
The study offers an important global map of pain. It shows that pain often increases long before old age, that women carry a consistently higher burden, and that social disadvantage can compound health risks. It also highlights back pain as an enduring worldwide concern.
For health services and policymakers, the message is clear, intervention should start earlier. Prevention, accessible care, safe work, support for healthy living, and timely pain management may stop a manageable condition from becoming a lifelong limitation.
The post Global Study Finds Women Report Pain More Often Than Men Across Every Body Site first appeared on PP Health Malaysia (PPHM) | 10POINTS Evidence-Based Health News.
