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Legatum Prosperity Index

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Unhealthiest Country in the World 2023

The U.S. is the unhealthiest country globally because of its high obesity rate and the heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses that go along with it.

America has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world—and it's not just adults who are getting heavier and heavier: childhood obesity is also a problem.

What makes the U.S. unhealthy

Americans overeat, and the majority of their diet comes from unhealthy fats like trans fats and saturated fats. This causes obesity. Obesity has been tied to an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes, two leading causes of death in America.

Smoking rates have been steadily declining since 1964, but as a whole, Americans still smoke more than most developed nations—even though smoking is known to cause lung cancer and other deadly diseases. Alcohol intake also remains higher than average worldwide compared to other countries. America's alcohol consumption accounts for about 10% of the global total despite Americans making up only 5% of people on Earth!

How the U.S. compares to other countries

The U.S.'s obesity rate is higher than that of other developed nations—even those with large populations of low-income people who are often assumed to have diets heavy on processed foods and fatty meats (like Mexico). The obesity rate in America is often estimated at 15%. In some areas like Alabama, Mississippi, and West Virginia, the obesity rate may be even higher. This is because these states are relatively poor. Americans in poverty tend to eat diets with higher salt and sugar content.

The U.S. also has a diabetes epidemic. More than 30 million adults have been diagnosed, as well as more than 9 million children.

The USA is among a handful of countries that spend at least 10% of their total health budget on diabetes treatment each year (alongside Saudi Arabia and Mexico).

Preventable conditions kill many people in the United States

You may be surprised to learn that the United States is considered by many to be the unhealthiest country in the world.

The U.S. has very high rates of death from heart disease and cancer. It also has one of the highest rates of stroke deaths. Other preventable diseases like diabetes, respiratory disease (including emphysema), cirrhosis (liver damage caused by alcohol abuse) and kidney failure kill millions of Americans every year.

Notes:
- The Legatum Propsperity Index tracks each country's level of prosperity across twelve composite categories, one of which is overall health (shown here). Higher numbers indicate worse average health.
- The Bloomberg Global Health Index evaluates each country across a range of indicators, ranging from pollution levels and availability of clean water to access to quality health care. Higher scores are preferable.
- The Global Health Security (GHS) Index measures a country's ability to respond to a widespread health threat (such as the COVID-19 pandemic). Higher scores are preferable.

Download Table Data

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Country
Legatum Prosperity Index
Bloomberg Global Health Index
Global Health Security Index
Singapore1.0089.2957.40
Japan2.0091.3860.50
South Korea3.0085.4165.40
Taiwan4.0000
China5.0062.5247.50
Israel6.0088.1547.20
Norway7.0089.0960.20
Iceland8.0091.4448.50
Sweden9.0090.2464.90
Switzerland10.0090.9358.80
Netherlands11.0085.8664.70
Luxembourg12.0087.3948.40
Germany13.0083.0665.50
Hong Kong14.0000
Finland15.0085.8970.90
Denmark16.0082.6964.40
Italy17.0091.5951.90
Belgium18.0080.4659.30
Malta19.0081.7040.20
France20.0086.9461.90
Australia21.0089.7571.10
Austria21.0086.3056.90
Ireland23.0084.0655.30
Slovenia24.0082.7267.80
New Zealand25.00062.50
Spain26.0092.7560.90
Czech Republic28.0077.5952.80
Cyprus29.0083.5841.90
Costa Rica30.0073.2140.80
Canada32.00069.80
United Arab Emirates33.0067.1439.60
United Kingdom34.0084.2867.20
Uruguay35.0065.6640.30
Estonia37.0073.3255.50
Qatar38.0071.9748.70
Seychelles39.00031.80
Portugal40.0083.1054.70
Greece41.0082.2951.50
Malaysia42.00056.40
Kuwait42.00036.80
Belarus43.00043.90
Slovakia45.00054.40
Bahrain45.0072.3136.60
Hungary46.0064.4354.40
Poland48.0070.2555.70
Bosnia and Herzegovina49.0069.6635.40
Chile51.0073.2156.20
Kazakhstan53.00046.10
Croatia53.0073.3648.80
Argentina56.0061.1954.40
Brazil57.00051.20
Panama57.0064.0153.50
Iran58.00036.50
Turkey59.0062.8150.00
Latvia59.00061.90
Jordan61.00042.80
Lithuania61.00059.50
Moldova62.00041.00
Trinidad and Tobago64.00036.80
Azerbaijan65.00034.70
Bulgaria65.00059.90
Turkmenistan66.00031.90
Oman67.0064.0739.10
Russia68.00049.10
United States69.0073.0275.90
Thailand69.00068.20
Algeria70.00026.20
Jamaica71.00031.80
Romania72.00045.70
Suriname72.00035.00
Tunisia73.00031.50
Ukraine74.00038.90
North Macedonia74.00042.20
Saudi Arabia75.00044.90
Tajikistan75.00029.30
Armenia76.00061.80
Cuba77.0074.6630.50
Nicaragua78.00036.30
Serbia80.0060.9945.00
Albania80.0068.0445.00
Mauritius81.00039.70
Paraguay82.00040.30
Lebanon83.0070.5333.40
Kyrgyzstan84.00042.40
Guyana85.00030.80
Mexico86.0062.0957.00
Dominican Republic88.00034.50
Colombia89.00053.20
El Salvador90.00040.80
Georgia90.00052.60
Belize91.00029.70
Vietnam92.00042.90
Cambodia92.00031.10
Morocco95.00033.60
Venezuela97.00020.90
Ecuador97.00050.80
Indonesia98.00050.40
Peru99.00054.90
Cape Verde100.0000
Bolivia101.00029.90
South Africa102.00045.80
Uzbekistan103.00039.00
Montenegro103.0069.6944.10
Sri Lanka104.00034.10
Libya105.00025.30
Bangladesh106.00035.50
Egypt107.00028.00
Mongolia107.00041.00
Philippines109.00045.70
Myanmar109.00038.30
Syria109.00016.70
Honduras111.00026.20
Laos111.00034.80
Sao Tome and Principe112.00026.60
Guatemala113.00029.10
Botswana114.00033.60
Iraq115.00024.00
Ghana115.00034.30
Senegal117.00032.80
Malawi121.00028.50
Ethiopia122.00037.80
Namibia122.00030.30
Nepal123.00034.00
Pakistan124.00030.40
India125.00042.80
Djibouti126.00025.20
Sudan127.00028.30
Tanzania128.00031.30
Comoros130.00024.90
Kenya131.00038.80
Burkina Faso132.00029.80
Uganda133.00036.50
Burundi134.00022.10
Eritrea135.00021.40
Yemen136.00016.10
Zambia137.00026.50
Mauritania138.00026.20
Gambia139.00028.70
Gabon140.00021.80
Zimbabwe141.00032.40
Togo142.00027.80
Niger143.00028.70
Mali144.00029.00
Madagascar145.00030.40
Republic of the Congo146.00026.30
Rwanda147.00033.10
Benin147.00025.40
Haiti148.00030.40
Papua New Guinea149.00025.00
Mozambique150.00030.40
Ivory Coast151.00031.20
Cameroon152.0085.7028.60
Afghanistan153.00028.80
DR Congo154.00026.10
Guinea Bissau155.0000
Equatorial Guinea156.00017.40
Nigeria157.00038.00
Angola158.00029.10
Guinea159.00026.80
Liberia160.00035.70
Eswatini161.00029.30
Sierra Leone162.00032.70
Somalia163.00016.00
Lesotho164.00030.90
Chad165.00023.90
South Sudan166.0000
Central African Republic167.00018.60
North Korea0016.10
Timor Leste0027.80
Fiji0025.80
Bhutan0039.80
Solomon Islands0023.30
Maldives070.9532.00
Brunei067.9643.50
Bahamas0030.10
Vanuatu0025.90
Barbados0034.90
Samoa0028.80
Saint Lucia0034.70
Kiribati0026.20
Grenada0026.70
Micronesia0028.50
Tonga0026.40
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0033.50
Antigua and Barbuda0030.00
Andorra0034.70
Dominica0026.40
Saint Kitts and Nevis0031.70
Marshall Islands0024.60
Liechtenstein0046.40
Monaco0033.30
San Marino0032.90
Palau0025.50
Cook Islands0023.90
Nauru0018.00
Tuvalu0020.00
Niue0020.10
showing: 197 rows

What is the unhealthiest country in the world?

Based on high levels of obesity, heart disease, and other illnesses, the United States is currently the most unhealthy country in the world.

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