Study reveals UK has the largest female health gap in G20

According to WHO, men are living healthier and longer lives than ever before but are still more likely to be burdened by illness and are outlived by women in every country.

Scientists are even reporting a coronavirus risk gap. Despite the infection rate being relatively equal between the sexes, the death rate for men is estimated to be 2.8 percent, compared with 1.7 percent for women.

With this in mind, Manual, the wellbeing platform for men, has analysed health data* for 156 countries worldwide across ten categories – including life expectancy, rates of diseases such as diabetes, cancer and obesity, mental health disorders and daily alcohol intake – to find out where has the largest gender health gaps.

Out of the 156 countries studied, men face greater health risks in 58 percent of nations.

It’s widely acknowledged that women are more likely to outlive men in wealthy nations but how do G20 countries**, the most advanced and emerging economies in the world, compare?

The data reveals the men’s health gap is largest in Russia (-50) and South Korea (-39). Four further G20 countries in Asia follow this trend – Japan (-27), India (-26), Indonesia (-24) and China (-23):

Largest men’s health gaps in G20
Rank Men’s health gap Country Men’s health rank
/156
Women’s health rank /156
1 -50 Russia 155 105
2 -39 South Korea 97 58
3 -27 Japan 55 28
4 -26 India 82 56
5 -24 Indonesia 26 2
6 -23 China 32 9
7 -8 Turkey 140 132
8 0 South Africa 156 156
9 6 Australia 138 144
10 8 United States 146 154
11 9 Saudi Arabia 69 78
12 10 Mexico 39 49
13 18 Germany 133 151
14 20 Canada 103 123
15 20 Argentina 111 131
16 24 France 121 145
17 28 Brazil 98 126
18 32 Italy 80 112
19 38 United Kingdom 87 125

Surprisingly, over half of the G20 countries studied have healthier men than women. The UK has the largest G20 female health gap, where women are worse off. It’s also the 12th largest globally.

There’s a difference of 38 places between where UK men (87/156) and women (125/156) rank globally amongst their peers across different health and wellbeing categories.

But why is the UK’s women’s health score so low?

When examining how UK women scored in each category, there are several which are significantly lower compared to women in the rest of the world. This, in turn, widens the gap between the UK’s men’s health score.

The female cancer score in the UK is 144th/156 in the world. In comparison, the UK men’s score is 138/156.

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