In this article, we will take a look at the 25 most health-conscious countries in the world. If you wish to see the top ones, head straight to the 5 Most Health-Conscious Countries in the World.
The health of a nation can be ascribed to a variety of factors. The world's healthiest nations frequently have a few characteristics in common: they have advanced economies, lower pollution levels, access to top-notch healthcare, and clean water.
The 2019 version of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which ranked 169 countries around the globe based on factors that contribute to overall health like life expectancy, health risks, malnutrition, and causes of death, identified Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Norway, and Israel as the top 10 healthiest nations in the world.
In addition to having excellent healthcare systems and easy access to clean water, the aforementioned nations have health-conscious citizens who follow healthy diets and engage in regular physical activity, keeping them in good health.
For instance, the Mediterranean diet has a significant impact on Spanish longevity and health. While eliminating red meat, processed meats, and baked products, this diet places a high emphasis on olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seafood, and legumes, which are associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Furthermore, compared to just 6% of Americans, a staggering 37% of Spaniards commute to work on foot or by bicycle. Spain has universal healthcare as well.
Healthcare spending in the Unites States, the richest country in the world by net worth, is significantly greater than in other high-income nations, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group. Nevertheless, the country continues to struggle with a low life expectancy at birth and a high prevalence of chronic health conditions and avoidable deaths.
Moreover, obesity, a medical condition in which one has an excess amount of fat in the body, and one’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 or more, has become a serious health problem in the United States because it is frequently linked to a number of chronic medical illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and heart disease. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of obesity in the country increased significantly from 30.5% in 1999-2000 to 41.9% in 2017-2020. An astounding 85 million Americans consume fast food on any given day.
However, a September 2022 survey of 2,000 American adults aged 30 and above conducted by Nutrisystem and OnePoll revealed that more than 70% of Americans are now more health-conscious post the COVID-19 pandemic. 64% of respondents said their physical health had been impacted since the outbreak began in March 2020. Additionally, half of all respondents reported gaining weight in the previous two years. Per the survey, more than 60% were motivated to lose weight because they were now more aware of how it affected their immunity.
Meanwhile, according to a report by Custom Market Insights, the global health and fitness club market was worth $83.24 billion in 2022. The industry is anticipated to reach a value $88.50 billion in 2023 and expand at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% from 2022 to 2030, reaching a value of $125.23 billion at the conclusion of the predicted period. Health and fitness club, which includes a trainer, machinery for working out, and other fitness-related items, is a physical space where health-conscious individuals spend money in order to achieve their fitness goals.
The younger generation and millennials are expected to be the key drivers of the market's growth since they are becoming more conscious of their physical, mental, and spiritual health. According to the report, with a market share of 28.67%, North America dominates the health and fitness club industry.
Among the leading companies operating in the health and fitness club market are Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT), Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LTH), 24 Hour Fitness, and Crunch Fitness among others.
Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT), founded in 1992, engages in the operation and franchising of fitness centers. The company had 2,410 outlets across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico, and Australia as of December 2022, with an estimated 17.0 million members.
Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LTH), headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, provides health, fitness, and wellness experiences to a community of individual members in the United States and Canada. On April 25, Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LTH) posted earnings for the first quarter of 2023, reporting a GAAP EPS of $0.14, beating market estimates by $0.09. The revenue over the period was $510.9 million, up 30.2% compared to the revenue over the same period last year.
With that said, lets take a look at the most health-conscious countries in the world.
We initially started our search for the most health-conscious countries in the world by using two reliable metrics. These included the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Countries Index and the U.S News rankings for the most health-conscious countries.
We assigned a score to each country based on its ranking in each report. For instance, there are a total of 85 countries in U.S News report. The #1 country in this report will get a score of 85/85=1, #2 country will get a score of 84/85=0.9988 and so on. We repeated the same scoring methodology for the other report.
After that, we added the scores from these two reports for each country. The top 40 countries along with their scores were shortlisted, creating a list A.
We then looked up for our third key metric, obesity rates in the countries on list A, with data courtesy of the World Factbook authored by the Central Intelligence Agency. The countries were arranged in ascending order on the basis of their obesity rates, and the same scoring methodology was used to create a list B.
The overall score for each country was calculated by adding up their individual scores in the aforementioned lists. Finally, we sorted the countries by their overall scores and identified the 25 most health-conscious countries in the world. When multiple countries had the same overall scores, we used each country's obesity rate as a tie-breaker.
Most Health-Conscious Countries in the World
25. United Kingdom
Overall Score: 2.00
The number of adult smokers in the UK has been declining since 1974. Smoking prevalence in the nation fell from 14.5% in 2020 to 12.7% in 2021.
24. Greece
Overall Score: 2.03
Greece, often called the cradle of Western civilization, is one of the most health-conscious countries in the world on our list. The Greek diet, which mostly consists of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and a modest amount of cheese and yoghurt, is regarded as one of the healthiest in the world.
With an average life expectancy of 80 years, Greeks have a reputation of living longer.
23. Australia
Overall Score: 2.04
According to the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index for 2019, Australia came in at number seven. The country enjoys one of the highest life expectancies in the world, at 83.2 years
Moreover, 49.1% of young Australians between the ages of 18 and 24 were frequent members of gyms and fitness clubs in 2022.
22. Poland
Overall Score: 2.04
Poland, a country in Central Europe, is one of the most health-conscious countries in the world on our list. According to a Deloitte report, 85% of Poles are willing to pay more for organically produced food.
21. Estonia
Overall Score: 2.12
Estonia, as reported previously, is one of the cleanest countries in the world in 2023 because of its eco-friendly policies. A country's environmental cleanliness has an impact on its health and longevity.
20. Ireland
Overall Score: 2.15
Ireland, in northwest Europe, is one of the most health-conscious countries in the world. According to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Irish adults consume the highest daily amount of fruit and vegetables in the EU, with 33% eating the recommended five or more portions.
19. Spain
Overall Score: 2.28
Spain's food culture is heavily influenced by the Mediterranean diet, which is full of seafood, good fats, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that this diet is useful in lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases and overall mortality.
18. Luxembourg
Overall Score: 2.28
Luxembourg spent around 5.35% of its GDP on healthcare as of 2021, significantly lower than other developed countries. Nevertheless, the country has some of the finest health outcomes in the world.
Life expectancy at birth in the country is about 83 years, two years higher than the OECD average of 81 years.
17. Slovenia
Overall Score: 2.28
Slovenia, a country in Central Europe, has access to clean drinking water for more than 99% of its citizens.
16. China
Overall Score: 2.34
China, a country in East Asia, has an adult obesity rate of 6.2%. Chinese people enjoy vegetables and strive to eat a variety of them to maintain excellent health.
We previously reported that the country's vegetable consumption per capita in 2020 was 328.75 kg, second highest in the world.
15. Germany
Overall Score: 2.35
Germany has a vibrant cycling scene, and the country's residents are conscious of the benefits cycling has on both their health and the environment.
According to the German National Cyclists' Association (ADFC), 78% of Germans cycled occasionally to regularly.
14. Belgium
Overall Score: 2.35
Belgium, one of the most health-conscious countries in the world, has universal healthcare system that is renowned for its excellence and accessibility. As of 2020, the country spent over 11.06% of its GDP on healthcare.
13. Portugal
Overall Score: 2.35
Portugal, which is located on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe, is one of the most health-conscious countries in the world on our list. Adult smoking rates in the nation decreased from roughly 21% in 2000 to 14% in 2019, which is below the EU average of 20%.
12. France
Overall Score: 2.45
France boasts a universal healthcare system, known for its great quality, accessibility, and affordability. The country spent more than 12% of its GDP on healthcare as of 2020. Its life expectancy is one of the highest, at 82 years.
Furthermore, the French way of life also encourages health and longevity because no food is off-limits to them, but everything is eaten in moderation and in smaller amounts.
11. Norway
Overall Score: 2.47
Norway has an impressive life expectancy of 83 years. This is due to the active Norwegian way of life, the abundance of omega-3 fatty acid in their diet, and a strong healthcare system that thrives on significant government investment.
10. Finland
Overall Score: 2.55
Finland, situated in northern Europe, is one of the most health-conscious countries in the world. Adult smoking rates in the nation decreased from 23% in 2000 to 11% in 2019, which is below the EU average of 20%.
9. Netherlands
Overall Score: 2.65
Netherlands, a country in northwestern Europe, is renowned for its excellent health. The Dutch eat a balanced diet in addition to engaging in a sufficient quantity of regular physical activity.
According to the Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis (KiM), the Dutch travelled 17.6 billion kilometers on bicycles in 2019, making 4.8 billion trips. This translates to each Dutch individual cycling 3.0 kilometers per day.
8. South Korea
Overall Score: 2.67
South Korea, a health conscious country, has an obesity rate of 4.7% among adults. One of the main factors contributing to the slim, healthy physique of Koreans is their love of vegetables. As we previously mentioned, the country's vegetable consumption per capita in 2020 was 164.23 kg, one of the highest in the world.
7. Austria
Overall Score: 2.69
Austria, a landlocked country in Central Europe, has a life expectancy of 81 years. Aside from having a top-notch healthcare system, the country also has a favorable work-life balance, low crime rates, and a clean environment that promotes both physical and mental well-being.
6. Italy
Overall Score: 2.69
Italy was ranked second in the 2019 version of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index. The nation has a well-regarded universal healthcare system that is highly effective, accessible, and affordable. It also boasts a high life expectancy of 83 years, among the highest in the world.
Moreover, Italian food, an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, also promotes health and longevity. It focuses on fresh vegetables, olive oil, fruits, fish and whole grains, all of which have been directly related to a lower risk of chronic diseases.
