Zimbabwe's drive to achieve upper-middle-income status could be undermined if investment in women's sexual and reproductive health does not accelerate, with global evidence showing that closing gender health gaps could unlock US$172 trillion in lifetime earnings worldwide, while every US$1 invested in family planning and maternal health generates US$8.40 in economic benefits.

The warning comes as Zimbabwe continues to battle maternal deaths, adolescent pregnancies and gender-based violence despite notable progress in expanding maternal healthcare and preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) argues that investing in women's health is no longer simply a health intervention but an economic strategy that boosts productivity, employment and long-term national development.

In its latest investment case, When Women Thrive, Economies Flourish, UNFPA says underinvestment in sexual and reproductive health is costing countries economic growth by limiting women's ability to participate fully in education, employment and entrepreneurship.

The agency says one in three women globally experiences physical or sexual violence during her lifetime, nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended, and a woman dies every two minutes from preventable pregnancy or childbirth complications. Globally, women's labour force participation stands at 47%, compared with 72% for men, while 708 million women remain outside the labour market because of unpaid care responsibilities.

UNFPA estimates that an additional US$79 billion invested in 29 essential maternal health and family planning interventions by 2030 would generate US$660 billion in economic benefits between 2022 and 2050 through higher labour force participation, improved productivity and lower healthcare costs.

The findings carry particular significance for Zimbabwe, where maternal and child health remains central to the country's National Health Strategy and Vision 2030 agenda.

Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora recently said Zimbabwe had made important progress in protecting mothers and children but acknowledged that more work remains before the country reaches global targets.

Speaking during the National Validation Committee meeting on the Triple Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B, Mombeshora said maternal antiretroviral therapy coverage reached 92% in 2025, while HIV transmission from mother to child had fallen to 6.45%.

He, however, stressed that Zimbabwe must push treatment coverage beyond 95% while reducing transmission to below the international elimination threshold of 5%.

"The Triple EMTCT agenda is a moral imperative tied to Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals," Mombeshora said, describing the programme as essential to ensuring children are born free from preventable infections.

He also highlighted Zimbabwe's progress against congenital syphilis, saying antenatal testing reached 95%, while treatment with Benzathine Penicillin stood at 98% in 2025.

However, he acknowledged slower progress on hepatitis B, where screening coverage remains at only 15%, although the Government plans to introduce a birth-dose vaccine to strengthen newborn protection.

UNICEF Zimbabwe has similarly warned that Zimbabwe is approaching, but has not yet reached, international elimination standards.

UNICEF Deputy Representative Fiachra McAsey said the country's estimated mother-to-child HIV transmission rate had fallen from 8.22% in 2022 to about 6.21% in 2025, describing the achievement as significant.

"Zimbabwe is closer than ever to achieving Triple Elimination, but our work is not done," McAsey said.

"Reaching the global target of below 5% will require stronger prevention, treatment, follow-up and support for every mother and child."

UNFPA argues that such investments generate economic returns far beyond the health sector.

The report cites World Bank estimates showing that eliminating gender lifetime earnings gaps would increase global wealth by US$172 trillion, while research by the McKinsey Health Institute estimates that closing women's health gaps could add US$1 trillion to the global economy each year.

It further notes that intimate partner violence alone costs the global economy approximately US$5 trillion annually, equivalent to about 5% of global GDP.

The report also points to International Monetary Fund research showing that in sub-Saharan Africa, every one-percentage-point increase in gender-based violence is associated with an economic decline of up to 8%, largely because violence reduces female employment and productivity.

Zimbabwe's own economic ambitions depend increasingly on expanding labour productivity and strengthening human capital. Economists have long argued that improvements in women's education, maternal healthcare, reproductive rights and economic participation are among the highest-return public investments available to developing economies.

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries has repeatedly identified human capital development as one of the country's most important competitiveness drivers, while the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency has shown that women make up a substantial share of employment in agriculture, informal trade and the care economy—sectors whose productivity is closely linked to health outcomes.

UNFPA says investment in girls' education is equally important. It estimates that spending US$152 billion globally to prevent 230 million child marriages and enable 386 million girls to complete school would generate more than US$5 trillion in economic benefits by 2050 through higher earnings, lower maternal mortality and stronger labour force participation.

The agency argues that governments should stop viewing reproductive health as consumption expenditure and instead recognise it as a productive investment.

"When it comes to sexual and reproductive health, the question is not whether we can afford it, but whether we can afford not to invest in it," UNFPA said.

For Zimbabwe, where health financing remains constrained and development partners continue to support reproductive, maternal and child health programmes, the report suggests that increasing domestic investment in women's health could strengthen not only health outcomes but also economic growth and labour productivity.