5 Healthiest Countries in Europe

2. Iceland 

Insider Monkey Score: 2

Iceland’s healthcare system is predominantly publicly funded and offers universal coverage to its citizens. Iceland has a life expectancy of 83.12 years, which is among the highest globally. There is a strong culture of physical activity in the country, with many people engaging in outdoor activities like hiking and skiing and only 7.5% of the Icelandic population are smokers, which is the second lowest percentage in Europe. In 2021, Iceland’s healthcare spending per capita was $6,636, a 17.72% increase from 2020, but dropped to $0 in 2022. In 2019, total health expenditure was 269 billion ISK, or 8.9% of GDP, slightly above the OECD average. Public spending accounted for 7.4% of GDP, and private spending 1.5%. Despite recent trends, Iceland’s per capita spending has been similar to the EU average but represents a smaller share of GDP.