2021 Marks a Dip in Women's Global Health, Survey Reveals
In 2020, Hologic, a medical technology company, joined forces with Gallup to conduct a worldwide survey aimed at assessing how well women's health needs are being met. Countries were evaluated based on women's responses to questions in five categories: general health, preventive care, mental health, safety, and essentials like food and shelter.
The Global Women's Health Index 2021 scored a dismal 52 out of 100, a single point lower than in 2020. No country managed to exceed 70 points, with Taiwan, Lettland, Austria, and Denmark leading the pack. Congo, Afghanistan, and Venezuela ranked lowest at less than 40 points. The United States came in 23rd place with a score of 61 out of 100.
Gertraud Stadler, director of the Gender Medicine Institute at Charity Hospital Berlin, commented, "The financial and emotional strain of the pandemic will continue to burden many families for some time, and we know that this impacts women particularly hard."
The survey revealed that women in 2021 reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, sadness, and anger than ever before within the past decade. Moreover, women were more likely than men to report being unable to afford food, with the percentage increasing from 34% in 2020 to 37% in 2021.
"We can only measure and improve what we are measuring," said Dr. Susan Harvey, Vice President for Global Medical Affairs at Hologic and former head of breast imaging at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
"These statistics are disheartening. We know that we need healthy women to be fully engaged and productive. Now is the time to collaborate and find solutions to improve women's healthcare."
Women Left Behind
According to Hologic and Gallup, five of the seven categories assessed in the Global Women's Health Index significantly contribute to differences in life expectancy at birth for women.
For instance, women who reported visiting the doctor in the past year had an average life expectancy two years longer than those who did not. Preventive care is an area where the United States performed better in 2021 than in 2020. In the Global Women's Health Index, the U.S. ranked second in this category, trailing behind Lettland.
"It's a small improvement, but we'll take it," Harvey said. "But overall, women worldwide are struggling in the area of preventive care."
Approximately 1.5 billion women lacked access to preventive care in the past year, according to Harvey. Worldwide, less than one-eighth of women were screened for cancer last year, according to the survey.
"Even though the solution seems simple, the complex challenges faced by women make it a reality," experts stated.
Women Always Last
"Women are often the last to think about themselves," said Katie Schubert, President and CEO of the Association for Women's Health Research.
"There are numerous reasons behind the burden women carry, both as caregivers and members of society."
Schubert pointed out that in the United States, women are more likely to seek medical care for their children than themselves. The percentage of women who had not seen a doctor six weeks after giving birth was "quite concerning."
Maternal Health Needs Attention
In spite of improvements, the United States continues to rank low when it comes to overall women's health – in part due to the health of mothers, an area that requires increased attention worldwide.
Perceptions of health and safety among U.S. women decreased in the Global Women's Health Index 2021, as did personal health indicators, including pain and general health concerns.
When asked about access to high-quality maternal healthcare at their location, data from a June report showed that the maternal mortality rate in the United States increased during the first year of the pandemic, particularly among Hispanic and Black women. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than four out of five pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented[3].
Wealthier Countries Fare Better
On average, wealthier countries score higher in the Global Women's Health Index than poorer countries. Surprisingly, the gap between high- and low-income countries in the index has nearly doubled since 2020, with the average difference exceeding 20 points. However, life expectancy in the United States remains below average, despite significantly higher healthcare expenditures.
While larger gender-specific disparities in healthcare are already well known, there are several factors contributing to these differences.
For instance, in many countries, women take longer to receive a correct diagnosis for heart disease and are treated less rigorously and less often participate in rehabilitation programs, Stadler noted.
"All these factors contribute to worse outcomes and higher mortality rates for women than for men," Stadler said.
Grassroots Action Needed
Experts agree that improving the health of women globally would benefit society as a whole.
"Women often serve as healthcare managers in families and communities, and as a result, children, partners, and parents benefit," Stadler said.
"Without a strong foundation of women's health and well-being, we will not be able to advance any of the goals associated with economic stability or justice in social and economic development," Schubert said[4]. "Everything is ultimately based on a healthy environment, healthy people, and a healthy basis."
However, achieving gender equality in healthcare and other aspects of life is still a distant goal.
Schubert noted that pregnant women were not included in Covid-19 vaccine trials. "I hope we are better prepared in the future to support our biomedical research and to support it more broadly, regardless of whether we are responding to a pandemic or any other health crisis in public health," Schubert said[6].
Most actions from the Global Women's Health Index are consistent with the goals of the United Nations in their Sustainable Development Goals.
A report published this month by UN Women and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations concluded that achieving the original gender parity targets in the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 will not be possible at the current rate of progress. Instead, it would require decades.
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"It is important that we come together now to invest in women and girls so they can recover and accelerate progress," said Seema Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, about the report. "Data show that the global crisis has worsened. There has been a clear setback in their lives – in income, safety, education, and health."
But there is hope.
"I hope we emerge stronger from the pandemic," Stadler said. "The pandemic has made more people aware of the importance of preventive behaviors. People have learned a lot about how to gather forces to protect one another."
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The Global Women's Health Index 2021 scores 52 out of 100, indicating a decline in women's health globally. However, preventive care has shown improvement in the United States. Despite this, the U.S. still lags behind in various health categories, particularly maternal health, which requires increased attention worldwide.
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The 2025 Hologic Global Women's Health Index, based on data from 2023, highlights several factors contributing to the lower scores in women's health globally. These factors include:
- Emotional Health: High levels of worry and sadness are negatively impacting women's emotional health, with 42% of women reporting they are worried and 30% reporting they are sad, which is an increase from previous years[1].
- Preventive Care: A decline in cancer testing, with only 10% of women reporting they were tested for any type of cancer, a decrease from 12% in previous years[1].
- Healthcare Safety and Satisfaction: Women feel less safe and are less satisfied with the availability of quality healthcare. In 2023, 35% of women felt unsafe, and only 65% were satisfied with the availability of quality healthcare, a decrease from previous years[1].
- Basic Needs: Women are struggling more to meet their basic needs, with 38% reporting they could not afford food and 32% reporting they could not afford adequate shelter, both of which are all-time highs since 2005[1].
- Physical Pain and Health Problems: More women are experiencing pain and health problems. In 2023, 34% of women reported experiencing physical pain, and 26% reported having health problems that prevent them from everyday activities, both of which are higher than in previous years[1].
Regarding the United States, specific rankings are not provided in the Hologic Global Women's Health Index. However, a separate study by SmileHub.org ranks Connecticut as the third best state for women's health in 2025, highlighting its high-quality women's hospitals and strong safety record[2]. The United States as a whole ranks 33rd out of 38 OECD member countries for women's life expectancy, indicating a need for improvement in women's health outcomes[5].
These findings suggest that while there are specific strengths in certain regions like Connecticut, the broader global trends and U.S. national statistics indicate ongoing challenges in women's health.
