- World Economic Forum report finds that closing the gender health gap would improve women's health and enable them to participate more actively in the workforce, and lead to a 1.7% increase in per capita GDP.
- World Economic Forum report finds that closing the gender health gap would improve women's health and enable them to participate more actively in the workforce, and lead to a 1.7% increase in per capita GDP.
- Read the full report here. Learn more about the Global Alliance for Women's Health here.
- For more information on the Annual Meeting 2024, visit www.weforum.org. Share on social media using the hashtag #wef24.
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 17 January 2024 - A new World Economic Forum report released today shows that closing the gender health gap would allow more women to live healthier, higher-quality lives, and provide an unprecedented boost to the global economy.
Closing the Women's Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies, developed in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute, analyses the health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women and quantifies the health gap today and the potential economic boon of bridging it tomorrow. Addressing shortcomings - which limit the ability of many women to engage in the workforce and earn a living for themselves and their families - could reduce the time women spend in poor health by almost two-thirds, improve the health outcomes and daily lives of over 3.9 billion people, and add $1 trillion to the economy annually by 2040.
"Our analysis demonstrates that addressing the women's health gap and investing in women's health must be a priority for every country," said Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum. "Beyond improving women's quality of life, ensuring women have access to innovations in healthcare is one of the best investments that countries can make for their societies and their economies."
Critically, better health is correlated with economic prosperity. According to the report, women on average spend 25% more of their life in poor health than men. Closing the health gap facing women globally could lead to a 1.7% increase in per capita GDP, with every $1 invested in these efforts potentially unlocking $3 in economic growth. It urges for greater access to gender-specific care and calls on industry leaders to create new financing models and innovative business policies, with broad multi-sector collaboration highlighted as a crucial step towards achieving these goals.
""The disparities that women face in accessing and receiving quality healthcare are not only inequitable - they are unjust. Investing in women's health doesn't just yield better outcomes for women, but it is also a direct investment in families, communities, societies and economies," said Anita Zaidi, President, Gender Equality Division, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "Closing the gender health gap must be an urgent priority for every country: our collective future depends on it."
In response to the report findings, and to bridge the women's health gap, the World Economic Forum has launched the Global Alliance for Women's Health, a multi-sector global platform that is centred on evidence that investing in women's health would not only improve billions of individual lives, but provide a revolutionary economic boon for societies and economies as a whole.
Xx organizations have already joined the alliance, including government leaders and representatives from the private sector, entertainment industry and philanthropic space. Together they have pledged new commitments to advance the alliance's priorities across three pillars: financing, science and innovation and agenda-setting. Key partners have already pledged $55 million to improve women's health outcomes and shape a new future for women's health across the world.
Key commitments towards women's health include:
- Tower Capital Group, an economic development entity with its affiliate non-profit Tower Council, intends to commit more than $25 million in 2024 to overcome barriers and ensure equitable support for the highest unmet need categories in generational and women's health.
- Rotary International will launch the Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge, an initiative that will provide $30 million disease prevention and treatment and maternal and child health in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia.
- 50+ partners have signed an open letter to raise a call for action to redesign healthcare with women in mind, an initiative led by AT Kearny.
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The Global Alliance for Women's Health alliance will be guided by an influential, multi-sector governing board that is made up of world leaders representing the diversity of stakeholders that must be involved to advance investments in women's health. Anita Zaidi, President, Gender Equality Division, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will serve as the alliance's board chair. She is joined by Catherine Russel, Executive Director, UNICEF; Elisabeth Staudinger, Member of the Board, Siemens Healthineers; Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance of Morocco; Nisia Trindade Lima, Minister of Health, Brazil (TBC); Rosario Dawson, Founder, Rio Dawn and Executive Producer, Below the Belt ; Shyam Bishen, Head of Health and Healthcare Centre, World Economic Forum; Per Falk, President, Ferring Pharmaceuticals; and Victor Dzau, President, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
The alliance signals a growing commitment to prioritizing, protecting and promoting the health of women and closing the health gap. All World Economic Forum members are invited to join the health alliance.
About the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024, taking place on 15-19 January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, convenes the world's foremost leaders under the theme "Rebuilding Trust." For further information, click here.
