World Economic Forum says stronger transparency is key to unlocking investment in a sector with major health and economic stakes.
Women make up nearly half of the world’s population, yet women’s health attracts just 6 per cent of private healthcare investment globally. That imbalance, a new report argues, is not only undermining health outcomes for millions of women but also leaving significant economic value untapped.
Those findings are laid out in the inaugural Women’s Health Investment Outlook, published by the World Economic Forum, which examines global investment patterns and identifies pathways to scale capital flows into women’s health.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
The report calls for stronger transparency, better data and coordinated action across the public and private sectors to correct what it describes as a long-standing structural gap in healthcare financing.
A Narrow Investment Focus Leaves Major Gaps
According to the report, around 90 per cent of private investment in women’s health is concentrated in just three areas: women’s cancers, reproductive health and maternal health. While these are critical needs, the focus has left other high-burden and high-prevalence conditions undercapitalised.
Cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopause and Alzheimer’s disease — all of which affect women uniquely, differently or disproportionately — remain significantly underserved, despite placing a heavy strain on health systems. Low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected by these funding gaps.
Companies focused exclusively on women’s health receive less than 1 per cent of total private healthcare investment, the report notes, even as half of all current investments in the sector remain at the pre-seed or seed stage.
A System Built Around Men’s Health
The report traces the roots of the imbalance to decades of structural bias in healthcare research and innovation.
“Men’s health has long been the default baseline for research and product development, with clinical standards, trial designs and innovation pipelines often calibrated to male physiology and needs,” said Shyam Bishen, Head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum.
That approach, he said, has systematically sidelined conditions that affect women uniquely or disproportionately, leaving them under-researched and underfunded.
The consequences are visible in health outcomes. Despite living longer on average, women spend about 25 per cent more of their lives in poor health or living with disability, reflecting the cumulative burden of neglected conditions.
A US$100 Billion Opportunity by 2030
Beyond health impacts, the report frames women’s health as a major economic opportunity. A Boston Consulting Groupanalysis cited in the report estimates that adequately treating just four conditions — cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, menopause and Alzheimer’s — could unlock more than US$100 billion in market value in the United States alone by 2030, assuming standard care reaches all women.
Other conditions that affect tens of millions of women globally, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and menstrual health disorders, receive less than 2 per cent of women’s health investment, despite their prevalence and long-term impact on quality of life and workforce participation.
The report notes that investment momentum in women’s health is beginning to build. Areas showing readiness for growth include women’s cancer therapeutics, digital healthcare platforms for maternal and mental health, longevity clinics for middle-aged and menopausal women, and wearable technologies for monitoring metabolic conditions such as PCOS and gestational diabetes.
“The good news is that investment momentum is building; investors now see women’s health as a growth frontier, not just a niche,” said Trish Stroman, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group.
She pointed to the in-vitro fertilisation market as an example of how aligning scientific advances with demand and reimbursement certainty can unlock high-growth opportunities.
What It Will Take to Scale Investment
To accelerate capital flows, the report calls for collaborative efforts to expand the evidence base in women’s health and improve transparency around outcomes and economic returns. It also recommends derisking investment through blended finance that combines public, private and philanthropic capital.
Other proposals include extending reimbursement for women’s health treatments, modernising regulatory frameworks, and encouraging companies in adjacent healthcare sectors to expand into women-focused solutions. The report also highlights the role of suppliers and innovators, noting growing adoption of pelvic health technologies in health clubs and wellness centres.
Led by the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Health and Healthcare in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group and the Women’s Health Investment Consortium, the Women’s Health Investment Outlook urges investors, policymakers and healthcare leaders to take targeted action.
The report argues that closing the investment gap is not only a matter of equity but also a strategic economic choice. As demand rises and innovation accelerates, women’s health, long treated as a niche, is increasingly positioned as one of the next major growth frontiers in global healthcare.
Lead image courtesy of Toa55 from akaratwimages (Menopausal women worry about melasma on face)
You may also be interested in :
Rising Gender-Focused Bond Issuance needs Credible Reporting, Study Says
