Promotion and support of healthy lifestyle are not only important at the personal level, but it is also a concern of the society and higher instances in general, so in our healthiest countries in the world 2017 list we will see which countries have the most success in this.
Interestingly, and somewhat contradictory, some of the countries listed on healthiest countries in the world 2017 also have one of the biggest problems of 21st century, and that is obesity, as you can see in 10 Most Obese Countries in Europe. And that brings us to one of the very important factors for our health, and that is nutrition. We are surrounded by the junk food chains and fast food in general which is connected to the busy modern way of life, but it brings severe consequences in terms of health. So what is the secret in healthiest countries diet? Balance and variety in the input of some important nutrients that are included in various foods: fish (rich in omega 3 fatty acids), nuts, whole grains, eggs, lots of vegetables, olive oil and moderate consumption of alcohol for example. That is why Italy is one of the healthiest countries, having a diet rich in vegetables and olive oil, among other factors.
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Another factor that impacts good health is physical exercise. As you will see, most of the healthiest countries are also at the top of thinnest skinniest fittest countries in the world list, having good daily habits of exercising.
So, combined, good diet and exercising on regular basis have a good impact on health. On the contrary, obesity, alcohol and tobacco use are one of the health’s worst enemies. Some of the unhealthiest countries in the world are among the top in the use of tobacco and alcohol. That brings Eastern Europe as the region with the least healthy countries in the world, according to research, having heavy drinking culture and high obesity rate.
The first question we had asked when we started the research on healthiest countries in the world in 2017 was which parameters we should use in order to get reasonable results. For that, we needed to somehow round all the factors and data concerning health in general mortality rate, life expectancy, all kinds of diseases, country’s wealth, nutrition, environmental pollution, etc. So, we searched for some kind of data that would cover the most of these questions, and we have found in this article published by the Lancet, the most reliable data. The parameter we have based our healthiest countries in the world 2017 list was the health-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) index, which consists of 33 health-related SDG indicators. These indicators include poverty levels, nutrition (hunger vs. overweight), mortality (which include maternal mortality, childbirth, and infant mortality), diseases, suicide rates, alcohol and tobacco use, road injuries, clean water, air pollution, to name few. Health-related SDG takes values from 0-worst to 100-best. So, since these scores are values of combined indicators, you might get surprised not to find some countries on our list, like Italy we have mentioned earlier, as one of the healthiest countries when taken in account diet or only several factors.
The second parameter we have taken in mind as one of the most important ones is healthy life expectancy at birth, that we took to compare the healthiest countries by the World Health Organization, and it was taken from their latest World Health Statistics 2017. Just as the example, all the healthiest countries in the world in 2017 have life expectancy at birth more than 70 years, comparing to some of the poorest and countries with sanitation and pollution problems. Those countries are for example Zimbabwe (with life expectancy at birth with only 52.3 years), Guinea (51.7) or South Sudan (49.9).
Let’s now see which countries care most about health on our list of healthiest countries in the world 2017 list:
16. Denmark
Health-related SDG index: 79
Denmark is one of the healthiest countries in the world 2017, also being the happiest and one of the wealthiest as well. The Danish tobacco consumption rate is among the lowest in the EU, though the problem represents high consumption of alcohol, having 37% adults heavily drinking.
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We are continuing with two countries which share the 14th place in healthiest countries in the world 2017 list.
14. Germany
Health-related SDG index: 80
Although life expectancy in Germany is among the top in Europe, and cardiovascular cause of mortality is decreasing, mortality caused by cancer is increasing. And although being ranked high among healthiest countries in the world 2017 list, obesity and alcohol consumption are a great threat to a healthy lifestyle in Germany.
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14. Malta
Health-related SDG index: 80
Malta has a huge growing problem with the obesity, although life expectancy in Malta is among the top, and above the average in the EU. Though high obesity rate might sound a bit contradictory when talking about healthiest countries, we have to take in mind that the ranking values are based on many indicators, and obesity being only one of them.
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Next in line in the healthiest countries in the world 2017 list we have five countries which share the 9th spot.
9. Ireland
Health-related SDG index: 81
Like Malta, Ireland is also ranked high with health-related SDG index, but it is one of the European countries with a big obesity problem. Nevertheless, Irish government has a great concern for healthy living of its residents, proposing improved health strategies for the future.
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9. Luxembourg
Health-related SDG index: 81
Luxembourg is one of the healthiest countries thanks to one of the best healthcare systems in Europe. Luxembourg is applying different strategies towards important health issues and disease causes such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol use prevention.
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9. Norway
Health-related SDG index: 81
It seems that reason for Norway being one of the healthiest countries in the world in 2017 lies in simple life habits: lot of exercise, healthy food (vegetables and fruits), and little alcohol and fast food, according to a Norwegian nutritionist.
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9. Australia
Health-related SDG index: 81
Australia is one of the countries with the longest life expectancy in the world today. Even though deadly diseases rates are shrinking coronary diseases are still number one killer in Australia.
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9. Canada
Health-related SDG index: 81
Even though Canada is one of the healthiest countries in the world in 2017, having good health care system and healthy lifestyle, 65% of all deaths are caused by cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. But, generally speaking, life expectancy in Canada is getting longer, while cardiovascular disease rates are decreasing.
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The following 4 countries in the healthiest countries in the world 2017 list share the 5th place.
5. UK
Health-related SDG index: 82
Although ranked high at health-related SDG index, UK has many issues concerning health, influenced by smoking, alcohol and bad diet, causing heart, liver and lung diseases, and cancer, one of the most common mortality causes in the UK. Nevertheless, in the period from 1990-2010 life expectancy in the UK has increased by 4.2, and now it is 79.9 years.
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5. The Netherlands
Health-related SDG index: 82
Again and again, the importance of healthy food is a great factor for having a healthy life. The Netherlands is one of those countries that have good and healthy food, and what is more important, quality food is affordable to everyone. It is also one of the fittest countries since apart from general exercising, many people ride bikes instead of driving cars (which also helps the environmental and pollution issues).
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5. Spain
Health-related SDG index: 82
Spain is one of the top European countries concerning life expectancy. Surely the Spanish diet has a lot of influence on the longevity and health in general. According to Lancet, Spain is one of the healthiest countries to live in general.
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5. Finland
Health-related SDG index: 82
Since Finland had one of the highest mortality rates form heart diseases some 40 years ago, much was done since then in terms of healthy life support, making it one of the healthiest countries in the world today. It was done mostly by controlling the dietary issues, for example, sugary drinks were banned from schools as one of the first steps since the education is the important in developing and spreading the awareness and importance of healthy lifestyle.
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4. Andorra
Health-related SDG index: 83
This small country has the longest life expectancy in the world, with the average person living more than 85 years. And once again, it seems that secret lies in balanced diet and everyday exercise, or at least some kind of physical activity, such as hiking or bicycle riding.
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And now, let’s see the top three countries in the healthiest countries in the world 2017 list.
1. Sweden
Health-related SDG index: 85
What makes Sweden among the top of our healthiest countries in the world 2017 list is that around 70% of the country exercise or has some sort of physical activity at least once or twice a week. That makes it the top country in Europe involved in physical activity, compared to Europe’s average of 41%.
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1. Singapore
Health-related SDG index: 85
Once again, apart from high living standards, good health service, safe sanitation, and water, diet is one of the most important factors for the health of people of Singapore, which is based mostly on rice and vegetables and meat. The most common causes of mortality in Singapore are cancer and ischaemic heart diseases which all have common risk factors: smoking, lack of physical activity, obesity and alcohol consumption.
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1. Iceland
Health-related SDG index: 85
The reason why Iceland is the healthiest country in the world in 2017 is mostly connected to the lifestyle of Icelanders. That lifestyle includes a good diet, which, as we have noted earlier, includes much input of omega three fatty acids, which are contained in fish. According to the Iceland Magazine, Icelandic fish and meat are one of the most high-quality in the world.
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This wraps it up for our list of healthiest countries in the world 2017 list.
