Global Paid and Unpaid Productivity Losses Due to Gastrointestinal Cancer Mortality

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers contribute substantially to premature mortality, yet their full economic burden, including unpaid work, remains underquantified. We aimed to estimate global productivity losses attributable to GI cancer mortality, considering paid and unpaid work.

Years of productive life lost (YPLL) were calculated using data from GLOBOCAN for GI cancer among working-age individuals (15-64 years) across 185 countries. Paid productivity losses were estimated using the human capital approach, while unpaid work was valued via the opportunity cost method. Country-specific wages, labor force participation, and time allocated to unpaid tasks informed these estimates.

In 2022, GI cancers caused 1.16 million deaths among adults. The estimated global productivity loss totaled $177.81 billion (United States Dollars; 31.4% of all cancer-related productivity losses). Paid labor accounted for $102.79 billion (57.81%), and unpaid work contributed $75.02 billion (42.19%). By cancer site, losses were highest for liver ($50.45 billion; 28.4%) and colorectal cancer ($49.53 billion; 27.9%). Eastern Asia experienced the largest losses ($67.62 billion). Very-high Human Development Index (HDI) countries accounted for the largest absolute productivity loss ($92.13 billion) and had the highest proportion of losses attributable to unpaid work (45%). Sex-specific analyses indicated that paid work dominated male losses (65%), while unpaid work dominated female losses (59%).

GI cancer mortality causes major global productivity losses; over 40% stems from unpaid work that is often missed by standard estimates and disproportionately borne by females. Better measurement of unpaid work is crucial to developing equitable, gender-responsive cancer policies and healthcare investments worldwide.