Italy: where health is (almost) the richness

Italy has been ranked the healthiest country on Earth in the Bloomberg Global Health Index of 163 countries. According to the study, the average life expectancy in the country is 80-89 years, while 2,800 miles south in Sierra Leone, the average newborn will die by 52.

The Bloomberg Global Health Index ranks Italy, Iceland, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia as the countries with the healthiest populations, in that order. The ranking takes into account metrics such as mortality, life expectancy, the number of people with elevated levels of blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol, as well as the prevalence of obesity, alcoholism, and childhood malnutrition in the country.
Also on the top ten are Spain, Japan, Sweden, Israel, and Luxembourg. On the Bloomberg list, the U.S. landed in 34th place, with a health grade of 73.05 out of 100, compared to Italy's grade of 93.11.

The Bloomberg Report also pointed out the lifestyle and food habit of Italy as the key reason for a long life span. It stated: "Then there is the diet, rich in vegetables and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington, has written about the importance of consumers having access to fresh produce, fruit, lean meats and fish."

The report is based on an annual survey of 1,000 people in more than 150 countries that simply asks them to rank, on a scale of 0 to 10, whether they are living their best life. Researchers then use six measures to try to understand the results: gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, support from relatives or friends, charitable giving, freedom to make life choices, and perceived levels of government and corporate corruption.

It might also be noted that though Italy has been placed on the top, the country is struggling with an internal economic crisis. Almost 40 percent of its youngsters are unemployed and the country is in the midst of heavy debts.