Spain has overtaken Italy and has become the healthiest country in the world

It can be something in gazpacho or paella … Spain has overtaken Italy to become the healthiest country in the world. This indicates the version of the Bloomberg Healthy Country Index of 2019, which ranks 169 economies based on factors that contribute to overall health. Spain was ranked sixth in the previous version, released in 2017.

Four other European countries were ranked in the top 10 in 2019: Iceland (third place), Switzerland (fifth), Sweden (sixth) and Norway (ninth). Japan was the healthiest Asian country after climbing from three spots in the 2017 poll to fourth place, replacing Singapore, which fell to eighth. Australia and Israel completed the top ten places, seventh and tenth places.

The index ranks countries according to variables including life expectancy and sets penalties for risks such as tobacco consumption and obesity. It also takes into account environmental factors, including access to safe water and hygiene.

According to United Nations data, Spain has the highest life expectancy at birth in the European Union countries and far exceeds Japan and Switzerland. According to forecasts, Spain will have the longest life span by 2040, with nearly 86 years, followed by Japan, Singapore and Switzerland. Readings and Evaluations from the Institute of Health at the University of Washington.

"Primary care is mainly provided by public service providers, specialized family physicians and nurses, who provide prevention services to children, women and the elderly, as well as acute and chronic care," according to a report. study carried out in Spain by the European Observatory of Health Policies and Systems 2018 and noted a decrease in cardiovascular disease and cancer deaths over the last ten years.

Eating habits

Researchers say that dietary habits can provide clues to the health status of Spaniards and Italians, since a "Mediterranean diet, including extra virgin olive oil and vegetables. nuts, had a lower rate of major cardiovascular events at a low fat diet, "according to a study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Navarre.

In North America, Canada ranks 16th, largely outperforming the United States and Mexico, which declined slightly to 35 and 53 years. Life expectancy in the United States has shown a downward trend due to overdose deaths and suicides.

Cuba was ranked five places above the United States, making it the only country not to be ranked in the "high income" category by the World Bank with such a high rating. One of the reasons for the success of the island nation may be the emphasis on preventive care, unlike the US approach to diagnosis and treatment of diseases, said the American Health Law Section. Bar Association in a report. Last year after visiting Cuba.

South Korea has grown seven places to 17, while China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has grown three places to 52. Life expectancy in China is poised to overtake the United States by 2040, according to the Institute for Reading and Assessment of Health.

The sub-Saharan economies represented 27 of the 30 most unhealthy nations in the rankings. Haiti, Afghanistan and Yemen were the other three. Mauritius was the healthiest in sub-Saharan Africa, located at number 74 worldwide, as it had the lowest infectious disease mortality rate in an area still affected by infectious mortality.