All over the world, the percentage of people in pain increased from 26.3 in 2009 to 32.1 in 2021

Pain trends and pain growth disparities, 2009-2021. LucíaMacchia. Economics & Human Biology, November 16 2022, 101200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2022.101200

Abstract: Physical pain is a major public health concern. Yet evidence on trends in physical pain around the world barely exists. Using nationally representative data from 146 countries (N = 1.6 million respondents), this paper finds that, all over the world, the percentage of people in pain increased from 26.3 in 2009 to 32.1 in 2021. This rising trend was present in both higher- and lower-income countries. This article also documents pain disparities: In the worldwide population, pain grew faster among women, the less educated, and the poor. Although the aggregate level of pain was greater among the elderly (> 60 years old), the growth in pain was faster among the younger (< 35 years old). These findings hold after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Disparities of pain growth in higher- and lower-income nations and potential explanatory factors are also discussed. Understanding how the level of pain varies over time and across demographic groups is crucial to evaluate and shape public health policies.

Introduction

Physical pain is a common health problem with vast individual, economic, and social consequences. Pain influences people’s health, wellbeing, and risk of mortality (Smith et al., 2018, Zajacova et al., 2021a), the economy and the healthcare system (Frießem et al., 2009, Gaskin and Richard, 2012), and the individual’s immediate social environment, such as the family and the workplace (Bendelow and Williams, 1995, de Vaan and Stuart, 2019, Dueñas et al., 2016). Understanding the growth and the distribution of pain growth in society is crucial to improving citizens’ welfare and the public health system. Yet evidence on pain trends and pain growth disparities in the worldwide population barely exists. This paper uses nationally representative data from146 countries (N = 1.6 million respondents) to examine pain trends between 2009 and 2021, potential explanations for these trends, and sociodemographic disparities in pain growth.

Later analyses show that the percentage of people in pain around the world increased from 26.3 in 2009 to 32.1 in 2021. Approximately, an extra half a billion people were in pain in 2021 as compared to 2009. Pain grew faster in countries with lower (vs higher) median age, lower (vs higher) healthcare spending, lower (vs higher) general government spending, and higher (vs lower) stress. This article also shows that pain growth is unequally distributed: The growth in physical pain was faster among women, the younger, the less educated, and the poor.