Italy has been ranked the healthiest country in the world according to the the Bloomberg Global Health Index.
This achievement is even more remarkable given that the Italian economy has been struggling in the past few decades. Almost 40 per cent of the country’s youth is unemployed and the country has one of the world’s highest debt loads relative to the size of its economy. Yet Italians are in a great shape, they are actually the healthiest population in the world.
Much credit must go to the Italian healthcare system and to the Mediterranean diet which is rich in fresh vegetables, olive oil, pasta and fish.
The ranking takes into consideration an health score given by metrics such as mortality and life expectancy; and some health risks penalties such as behavioral or endogenous factors. This includes the number of people with elevated levels of blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol, as well as the prevalence of obesity, alcoholism, and childhood malnutrition in the country. The index also takes into account environmental or exogenous factors - such as gas emissions and access to drinking water.
More than 200 countries have been evaluated and 163 of them had enough data to be included in the final outcome. Australia is not doing too badly, it is ranked in the fifth place.
Norway, which was yesterday announced as the happiest country on earth, is not the healthiest - instead falling behind Australia at number nine. See the top 20 below.
The Bloomberg Global Health Index top 20:
- Italy
- Iceland
- Switzerland
- Singapore
- Australia
- Spain
- Japan
- Sweden
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Austria
- Netherlands
- France
- Finland
- Germany
- Canada
- Cyprus
- New Zealand
- Greece
Developed countries aren't without risks - obesity among them. The US for example are ranked at number 34, tipping the scales as one of the world's heaviest nations. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia more than 35% of the population is considered obese.
