Spain surpasses Italy as the healthiest nation in the world; Singapore slides 4 places to no. 8, World News and Best Stories



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BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) – Maybe this is part of the gazpacho or paella, while Spain has just surpbaded Italy to become the healthiest country in the world.

This corresponds to the 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, which ranks 169 economies based on factors that contribute to overall health. Spain is ranked sixth in the previous gauge, published in 2017.

Four other European countries were among the top 10 in 2019: Iceland (third place), Switzerland (fifth), Sweden (sixth) and Norway (ninth). Japan was the healthiest Asian nation, with three spots in the lead of the 2017 survey and a fourth place in Singapore's place, which dropped to eighth place. Australia and Israel completed the top 10 in seventh and tenth place.

The index ranks nations according to variables such as life expectancy while imposing penalties for risks such as smoking and obesity. It also takes into account environmental factors, including access to drinking water and sanitation.

Spain has the highest life expectancy at birth among the countries of the European Union and exceeds only Japan and Switzerland in the world, data from the United Nations show.

According to the Institute of Metrology and Health Assessment of the University of Washington, Spain is expected to have the longest life span, nearly 86 years, followed by Japan, Singapore and Switzerland.

"Primary care is primarily provided by public service providers, specialized family physicians and nursing badistants, who provide prevention services to children, women and elderly patients, as well as acute and chronic care", according to the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 2018., noting a decrease in cardiovascular disease and cancer deaths over the last decade.

Eating habits

Researchers believe that eating habits can provide clues to the health status of Spain and Italy because a "Mediterranean diet, supplemented by oil from the sea. Extra virgin olive or nuts, had a lower rate of major cardiovascular events than that badociated with a low-fat diet, "according to a study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Navarre.

At the same time, in North America, Canada ranks 16th, far exceeding the United States and Mexico, which fall slightly to 35th and 53rd positions. Life expectancy in the United States has tended to decrease due to deaths from drug overdoses and suicides.

Cuba has five places above the United States, making it the only country not to be in the high-income category of the World Bank. One of the reasons for the success of the island nation may be the emphasis placed on preventive care over the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, said the US Bar Association's Health Law Section. a report published last year after his stay in Cuba.

South Korea rose seven places to 17th place while China, which has 1.4 billion inhabitants, gained three places in 52nd place. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, life expectancy in China is expected to exceed the United States by 2040.

The sub-Saharan economies accounted for 27 of the 30 least healthy countries in the ranking. Haiti, Afghanistan and Yemen were the others. Mauritius was the healthiest region in sub-Saharan Africa, ranking 74th in the world because of the lowest rate of communicable disease deaths in an area still marked by infectious mortality.

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