What is the unhealthiest country in Europe?

Central Europe lags behind in world’s healthiest countries ranking

Krakow, Poland – Whether it’s an unhealthy food diet, worsening environmental factors, limited access to health services, or a combination of all that and more, Central Europe lags behind in an international study ranking the world’s healthiest countries.

The Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index ranks 169 countries in the world, taking into account a wide range of factors that contribute to overall health. Nations are ranked according to certain variables, including life expectancy, environmental factors like sanitation and access to clean water, and receive penalties on health risks like obesity and use of tobacco.

This year, Spain was crowned the world’s healthiest country, jumping five places compared to the previous 2017 edition and surpassing Italy, winner of the previous ranking. “Spain has the highest life expectancy at birth among European Union nations, and trails only Japan and Switzerland globally”, Bloomberg points out, adding that the country “is forecast to have the highest lifespan, at almost 86 years” by 2040.

After Spain, the other healthiest countries in the world are Italy, Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, Norway and Israel, according to the Bloomberg ranking.

The index highlights the benefits of eating habits in Europe’s south, including the famous “Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin oil or nuts”.

Among the top 20 healthiest countries in the world, 13 of them are located in Europe, 3 in Asia, two in Oceania and one in the Middle-East and North-America.

None of the Central European countries fare particularly well in this year’s Bloomberg World Healthiest Country Index: although the Czech Republic ranks at a reasonable 29th place worldwide (gaining one spot compared to the 2017 index), it lags far behind most other European countries and ranks 22nd on the continent.

Other Visegrad Group countries are even further behind: Poland is 40th (-1) and Slovakia is 45th (+1). As the 48th healthiest country in the world, Hungary jumps four places compared to two years ago but remains one of the unhealthiest countries in the EU.

At the other end of the scope, the 30 unhealthiest nations in the world include 27 Sub-Saharan countries plus Haiti, Afghanistan and Yemen.

Tags Czech Republic • European affairs • Food & Drinks • Healthcare • Hungary • Poland • Slovakia

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Which are the healthiest countries in the world for 2023?

Italy is the world’s healthiest country, according to the CEOWORLD magazine ranking that uses data from the United Nations Population Division, the World Bank, the Lancet study, and the World Health Organisation, with Singapore coming at a close second. Even in the land of pasta and pizza, most Italians lead active lifestyles and stick to vegetable- and olive oil-rich diets, which lead to better cholesterol and overall well-being. (The Italians also happen to eat less fast food than other European countries, aside from Spain.) Children born in Italy can expect to live into their eighties. Iceland rounded out the top three.

Well, If I had to guess which nation boasts the healthiest people, I might pick one of the standby Nordic countries like Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden, which are known for their best healthcare systems and high quality of life. However, Italy is the healthiest country in the world. Good news for wine, pasta, and cheese lovers!

To identify the healthiest countries in the world, CEOWORLD magazine Rankings created health scores and health-risk scores for countries with populations of at least 1 million. It determined the countries’ rank by subtracting the risk score from the health score. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the definition of ‘healthy’ is open to interpretation. The study ranked 195 countries. Do you think you live in one of the healthiest countries in the world? How is yours doing?

Italy has trumped 100 nations to emerge as the healthiest and longest-living populace on the planet, followed by Singapore, Iceland, Hong Kong, Finland Taiwan. Surprisingly enough, Italy far outpaces France (#19), the Netherlands (#24), and the United Kingdom (#31). The sixth ranking position was claimed by Taiwan, while 7th place went to New Zealand. Australia, Monaco, and Norway also made it to the top ten.

The Top 100 Healthiest Countries In The World, 2023

UK ranked fourth for having most overweight and obese adults in Europe, according to WHO study

The report says among the WHO European region obesity is likely to be «directly responsible» for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually and is set to rise.

Tuesday 3 May 2022 13:21, UK

The UK has been ranked fourth for having the most overweight and obese adults in Europe, where obesity affects 59% of adults across the continent, a study has found.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) report said overweight and obesity have reached «epidemic proportions» in Europe, causing an estimated more than 1.2 million deaths every year.

It added that excess body fat leads to premature death and is a leading risk factor for disability.

Across Europe, being overweight or obese affects 8% of children under five and one in three children of school age.

According to the study, of all European countries the UK ranks fourth for having the most overweight and obese adults, behind Israel, Malta and Turkey.

The research noted that obesity is associated with many diseases, including musculoskeletal complications, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and at least 13 types of cancer.

A million hospital admissions with obesity as factor

More on Obesity

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NHS figures for England show that 63% of adults in England in 2018 — the most recent data available — were overweight or obese.

In 2019/20, there were just over one million hospital admissions in England where obesity was a factor, a 17% rise on 2018/19.

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Meanwhile, NHS Digital data for children shows that obesity prevalence among four and five-year-olds in Reception class rose from 9.9% in 2019/20 to 14.4% in 2020/21.

Among Year 6 pupils, who are aged 10 and 11, obesity increased from 21% in 2019/20 to just over a quarter in 2020/21.

No member state on track to reach target to halt rise

The report said that there have been «alarmingly» consistent increases in the prevalence of obesity in the WHO European region and «no member state is on track to reach the target of halting the rise in obesity by 2025».

It added that across the region obesity is likely to be «directly responsible» for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually, with this figure projected to rise in the coming decades.

The report said the COVID pandemic has made things worse, including for children in the UK, due to drops in exercise and increases «in the consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and salt».

It added that for some countries, it is predicted that obesity will overtake smoking as the main risk factor for preventable cancer in the coming decades.

The report said «obesity is a disease — not only a risk factor» and its causes are more complex than just an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Measures to reduce obesity in the report included a call for unhealthy food marketing to children to be stopped, limiting «the proliferation of takeaway outlets in low-income neighbourhoods» and nutritional food standards in settings such as nurseries put into law.