October is Health month here at Global Citizen, and what better way to start the conversation than to discuss the healthiest countries in the world. From the steamy city-state of Singapore to the snow capped Alps of Switzerland, people are living healthier and longer today than ever before.
But health is a tough topic to quantify. What makes one place healthier than another? Does spending a higher percent of your total Gross Domestic Profit on healthcare mean that your country has lower cholesterol? If your country has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world, are you more fit than a country that lives ten years longer on average?
These are some difficult questions, and ones that I don't have the answer to. Mainly because when it really comes down to it, this kind of list is subjective. How can you compare countries with less than 50,000 people to those with over a billion?
...So maybe healthiest countries is a slightly misleading title.
It turns out this kind of list cannot be definitive, so instead, I came up with my own. This list is based on GDP spent on healthcare and under 5 mortality rates reported by the World Bank, life expectancy estimates in 2015 by the CIA, and physicians per population by the Kaiser family foundation, among measurements.
So without further ado, here are ten of the healthiest countries in the world.
Monaco
- Population: 38,320
- Life expectancy: 89.52 (Highest in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 4%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 4
- Physicians per 1,000: 7.06 (Highest in the world)
Though I intended to discount the smaller countries and city states that had under 50,000 people, I couldn’t ignore Monaco. Surrounded on three sides by France, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and roughly the size of Central Park in New York City, it’s an easy country to forget. But the Principality of Monaco leads the world in life expectancy (by about five years), and physicians per 1,000 people (by about 4). When you take into account the stunning view, the coastline and the safety (Monaco has the highest level of police per capita), you get a happy, healthy country that lives longer than anyone else. Just don’t forget that there’s a dress code.
Japan
- Population: 127.3 million
- Life expectancy: 84.74 (2nd in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 10.3%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 3 (6th in the world)
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 2.14
Japan isn’t often thought of when one talks about healthy countries, but there’s more than meets the eye in this Pacific island nation. For instance, along with the second highest life expectancy in the world, Japan has more than 50,000 residents who are over 100 years old. They also have an obesity rate of around 3.5 percent. That’s 4th in the world, a pretty impressive number when compared to the United States which is over 30 percent. This is mainly due to a government program which dictates that citizens need to adhere to a certain waistline or face the consequences. It may be insensitive, but it seems to be working.
Iceland
Reykjavík, Iceland.
Reykjavík, Iceland.
- Population: 330,000
- Life expectancy: 82.97 (6th in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 9.1%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 2 (2th in the world)
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 3.46
Next we have the deceptively named Iceland. The craggy cliffs, bubbling volcanoes and natural hot springs make Iceland look more like primordial Earth than one of the healthiest countries on it, but with the 6th highest life expectancy and second lowest under five mortality rate, it’s hard to argue. Iceland is also the second tallest country in the world, with the average male being 5’10.8”. And having three people per square kilometer, which is one of the lowest population densities, means that everyone gets enough leg room.
Switzerland
- Population: 8.02 million
- Life expectancy: 82.5 (9th in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 11.5% (10th in the world)
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 4
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 4.08
Ah Switzerland! Where the snow is cleaner and the air fresher. Literally, Switzerland topped the list of cleanest countries in the world with an Environmental Performance Index of 99.5 out of 100, which really shows. It’s also the only country on our list where GDP spent on healthcare and life expectancy seem to correlate. For a reference point, the United States spends 17.1 percent. Which begs the question, are the Swiss doing something right, or is it just that they live in a mountain range?
Singapore
- Population: 5.4 million
- Life expectancy: 84.68 (3rd in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 4.6%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 3 (7th in the world)
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 1.92
Singapore is an interesting place, to say the least. A bustling island city-state off the coast of Malaysia, surrounded by lush, tropical forest, it comes in at number five on our list. Along with the third highest life expectancy, one of the main reasons is their smoking ban. Officially, it’s called ‘The Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act,’ which, on top of having an awesome name, (I’m a sucker for parentheses), it banned smoking in different places starting in 1970. That ban has since extended to encompass almost all public outdoor locations. It also really helps to reduce litter, something that Singapore is vehemently against. So chalk it up to another case of two birds, one stone?
Luxembourg
- Population: 543,202
- Life expectancy: 82.17 (12th in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 7.1%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 2 (Lowest in the world)
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 2.78
The lovely little landlocked country of Luxembourg comes in at sixth on our list, and honestly, some may ask why it wasn’t put higher. Lowest in the world for under five mortality rate, 12th in life expectancy, and Business Insider just named it the Best Country in the World. Nestled between France, Germany and Belgium, Luxembourg benefits from all the surrounding cuisine and culture. It shows too, with their restaurants boasting more Michelin stars per capita than any other country in the world. Oh, and did I mention the castles?
Australia
- Population: 23.91 million
- Life expectancy: 82.15 (13th in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 9.4%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 4
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 3.85
People say that Australia wants to kill you. No, really, a quick google search of that phrase yields 19.4 million results. Whether or not that’s true, it really is a wonderful place. There are multiple organizations that rank happiness, but according to the World Happiness Report, Australia is the 10th happiest country in the world. This is accredited to the unemployment rate (which is at 6.2 percent), the minimum wage (over $17 dollars an hour), and the fact that as of 2013, the economy had grown consecutively for 21 years. And all that adds up to a happy, healthy country, regardless of all the deadly animals.
Sweden
- Population: 9.80 million
- Life expectancy: 81.98 (15th in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 9.7%
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 3 (10th in the world)
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 3.87
Sweden ranks number eight on our list mainly because of their dedication to their population’s well-being. Sweden has been a pioneer in healthcare for a very long time, ranging from equal access health care, to dental being legally required to provide. And that’s just the beginning. After a patient has paid a certain amount in a year, depending on where they live, medical exams within 12 months of the first exam are free.
Those costs range between SEK 900-2,200. That comes out to roughly $108-264. Per year. As an American, that seems fictional.
Sweden was also ranked 8th happiest country in the world this year. It probably helps that they haven’t declared war since 1814.
Austria
- Population: 8.47 million
- Life expectancy: 81.39 (25th in the world)
- GDP spent on healthcare: 11% (14th in the world)
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 4
- Physicians per 1,000 people: 4.86 (5th in the world)
Austria isn’t just vocally talented families and hills alive with music. It also has the 6th best healthcare, according to the healthcare System Index. That accounts for factors such as accuracy in filling out reports (1st place), location convenience (1st again), and competence of medical staff (3rd place). They’re also the 11th least obese european country at 12.4 percent, which is nothing to scoff at. Maybe it’s the health care, maybe it’s the mountain range, and maybe it’s the lederhosen. Who knows.
Netherlands
- Population: 16.84 million
- Life expectancy: 81.23
- GDP spent on healthcare: 12.9% (4th in the world)
- Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 births: 4
- Physicians per 1,000 people: Unknown
Contrary to popular belief, there’s more to the Netherlands than legalized vices in Amsterdam. Like their healthcare. If you exclude Tuvalu, which had a population of roughly 9,800 in 2013, the Netherlands came in third for GDP spent on healthcare, at 12.9 percent. Which may be a contributing factor in their coming in 7th in global happiness. They’re also the 10th least obese european country at 11 percent. And say what you will, this may be due to the fact that up to 70 percent of all journeys in cities such as Hague take place on bicycle. Or maybe tulips inspire weight loss.
So there you have it, ten of the healthiest countries in the world, and a little bit about why. It’s also worth mentioning that the United States spends 17.1 percent of their overall GDP on healthcare, second only to the tiny nation of Tuvalu, and yet came in 43rd for overall life expectancy. It really makes you think about our convoluted, confusing, criminally expensive and complicated health care system. Global Goal 3 is aimed at achieving good health and well-being by 2030, and while these may not be the end all healthiest countries in the world, they’re certainly making strides.
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