WASHINGTON — You may not feel very well after reading this one: Bloomberg’s annual Healthiest Country Index has the U.S. looking pretty sickly.
The analysis of World Health Organization data shows the United States as the 35th healthiest country out of 169, with obesity, drug overdoses and suicides leading the way. The States dropped one place from last year. Spain dethroned Italy for the top spot.
The numbers are based on factors including life expectancy, clean water and sanitation, while taking points off for obesity and tobacco use.
Bloomberg said researchers found the benefits of the so-called “Mediterranean diet,” heavy on fruit, vegetables, fish, whole grains, olive oil and nuts, could well be a factor in the results, particularly when it comes to life expectancy. Indeed, Spain is forecast to have the world’s longest life expectancy by 2040, according to a University of Washington study cited by Bloomberg.
The top 10:
- Spain (up from No. 6)
- Italy (down from No. 1)
- Iceland (down from No. 2)
- Japan (up from No. 7)
- Switzerland (down from No. 3)
- Sweden (up from No. 8)
- Australia (down from No. 5)
- Singapore (down from No. 4)
- Norway (up from No. 11)
- Israel (down from No. 9)
You can read the whole survey if you’re a Bloomberg subscriber.
