League table shame of UK women's healthcare: We languish behind Saudi Arabia in global list

Women's healthcare in the UK is worse than in some countries with poor records on equality, including Saudi Arabia and China, a poll has found.

The UK has ranked lower than most comparable Western countries, including the US, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany, in the 2021 Hologic Global Women's Health Index published today.

Analysts blamed this on British women struggling to access preventive care, such as cancer screening, as well as diagnosis for causes of pain and mental health support.

The UK scored just 60 out of 100 three points lower than last year in the index, which is based on a survey of more than 127,000 people worldwide by analytics firm Gallup. This places it on a par with Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Kosovo and Poland. Ireland also scored 60 points.

While the global average was lower at just 53 out of 100, most Western nations ranked higher than the UK, which was 30th on the list of 122 countries and territories. Taiwan was top, scoring 70, and Afghanistan bottom with 22.