America’s (Dismal) Health Rankings

One of the eternal embarrassments that Americans must endure is our relatively low ranking in the various global health indices.  Take, for example, the Legatum Prosperity Health Score used by the World Population Review publication, which combines health risks like average levels of high blood pressure, obesity and tobacco use; availability of clean water, malnutrition; different causes of death and the biggest one: average life expectancy of the citizens of each country.  The United States, ranked 69th overall in the latest ranking, with a 73.26 rating, well behind various European and Asian countries (Singapore ranked first with an 86.89 rating), slightly ahead of Algeria (73.22) and Tajikistan (72.45).

Other rankings look at the quality of healthcare in each country.  The U.S. has famously resisted ‘socialist medicine’ in favor of a system where for-profit insurance companies pay for-profit healthcare systems to manage our collective health.  When the World Population Review assessed the quality of, and access to medical doctors, hospitals, nursing care, physical and occupational therapy for the citizens of different countries, it found that Italians received the best overall healthcare in the world, with a health care index of 72.15.  Second place: Singapore, with a 67.22 ranking, followed by Iceland (65.15), Hong Kong (64.32), Finland (60.53), Taiwan (59,76), New Zealand (59.76), Australia (57.77), Monaco (57.65) and Norway (57.38).

You have to move down the list to find the United States, with a 51.34 ranking, nosing out North Macedonia (49.9), slightly behind Oman (52.24), Chile (51.61) and Saudi Arabia (52.35).  

The quality of healthcare is, of course, only one contribution to a country’s overall health.  The reports cited obesity as a negative issue in Americans’ rankings.

Source:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world

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