Countries with a population of at least one million were given a health score and a health risk score by Bloomberg rankings, the countries’ rank was then determined by subtracting the risk score from the health score.
Health scores were based on a variety of factors such as mortality rates and cause of death, while the health risk scores evaluated factors which impede health, such as number of young people who smoke and the number of people who are immunised.
Singapore ranked highest in the listings, with an overall score of 89.45 per cent. Italy was the second healthiest country at 89.07 per cent, while Australia was the third healthiest country with a rating of 88.33 per cent.
European and Asian countries dominate the top ten, while North and Latin American countries do not feature in the top rankings at all.
The World Economic Forum cautions that the term healthy may be subjective and open to interpretation. A ranking that defines health by quality of life rather than life expectancy could include countries with lower income, which report higher levels of life satisfaction.