Revealed: The cost of having a period around the world (and the one country where sanitary products are FREE)

The cost of a period varies widely around the world, ranging from zero dollars for some women in Europe to thousands of dollars for others in Asia.

An analysis of Health news looked at the price of the most common menstrual product people use – a sanitary napkin – and found big differences between more than twenty countries.

The cost of a period is highest in the United Arab Emirates, where women pay 23 cents (£0.83) per pad and $68 (£53) per year, which equates to $2,668 (£2,087) over their lifetime .

Women pay the least for menstrual hygiene products in Germany and Finland, where a single sanitary towel costs $0.04 (£0.03), equivalent to $12.57 (£9.75) per year and $490 (£383) over a whole life.

However, the researchers said cheaper products do not necessarily mean better accessibility as incomes vary widely from country to country, meaning some people may pay less for sanitary towels, but this could represent a larger share of their income.

Menstruation begins on average at age 12 and continues until a woman reaches menopause at an average age of 51, having her period about once a month – or 468 times in her lifetime.

The analysis shows that women use an average of 11,400 sanitary pads during their menstruation.

To calculate the cost, researchers looked at the lowest pad price in 30 countries and converted them into US dollars. They then multiplied that price by 11,400.

After the UAE, the United States came in second for the most expensive products: $0.15 (£0.12) per pad, $44 (£34) per year and $1,710 (£915) over the lifetime of menstruation.

The third most expensive country was Australia, at $0.18 (£14) per sanitary towel, $40 (£31) per year and $1,561 (£1,221) over a lifetime.

Fourth was Sweden and fifth was Canada.

After Germany and Finland, Japan and Poland were the cheapest countries for women during their period, with costs of $0.06 (£0.05) per pad, $17 (£13) per year and $661 (£517) over a lifetime.

The UK had the third lowest costs, with a price tag of $0.63 (£0.49) per product, $18.42 (£14.41) per year and $718 (£562) over a woman’s lifetime.

For the purposes of the study, the researchers included England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as Scotland has been offering free sanitary products since 2022.

Spain, Denmark, France and Austria all had the fourth cheapest price and Mexico rounded out the five cheapest places where a woman can get her period.

Whatever the price of a sanitary pad, based on the average annual income in a country, the products can represent a larger portion of a person’s salary, which can affect how accessible they are.

Women pay the least for menstrual hygiene products in Germany and Finland, where a single sanitary towel costs $0.04 (£0.03)

The lifetime cost of a period is highest in the United Arab Emirates, where women have to pay $2,668 (£2,087) over their lifetime

In Germany and Finland, which have the cheapest sanitary towels, sanitary towels were “extremely accessible”, researchers said, relative to the average annual salary.

The average annual income in Germany is $53,675 (£41,980), meaning that over a year, sanitary towels make up 0.91 percent of a person’s salary. In Finland, where the average annual salary is $52,000 (£40,670), sanitary towels are 0.94 percent.

While in the UAE, despite the higher average income – $64,080 (£50,117) per year – because menstrual products were almost five times more expensive, they cost more relative to the amount of money people take home per year, which equates to 4, 2 percent of the total costs. annual income.

When researching sanitary pad prices, consumers should consider additional taxes imposed on the products, the analysis said. In the US, a tax on women-centric products is called the “pink tax” or “tampon tax.”

These products are taxed at higher rates than other everyday goods, but the same additional charges are not applied to male-targeted products such as condoms and erectile dysfunction drugs.

In the US, 23 states and Washington DC have banned taxes on menstrual products and another twelve states are considering legislation to do the same.

Opponents of the tampon tax argue that the products are necessary and should not be taxed. They say the extra costs place an unnecessary additional burden on people who need sanitary pads or tampons when they have periods.

Around the world, countries such as Britain, Canada, Ireland, France, Spain and the Netherlands do not impose tampon taxes on feminine hygiene products.

However, in Hungary, Denmark and Sweden, the tax is among the highest and ranges from 25 to 27 percent.

Scotland is the only country in the world that provides menstrual products free to its citizens. It has passed legislation to do this in 2020 and put the law into effect in 2022.