The United States ranks lowest or almost lowest in the indicators on this page. It is the opinion of International Comparisons researchers that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted data collection for many organizations. As of July, 2024, many of our sources still contain outdated data. We are doing our best to update our information. Thank you.
HEALTH STATUS
| COLOR CODING | |
|---|---|
| Green | Ranked first for statistic |
| Red | Ranked last for statistic |
| Average Life Expectancy (Years) | Infant Mortality | Maternal Mortality | Low Birth Weight | Adult Obesity (%) | Bloomberg Global Health Index | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 83.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 6.2 | 29.0 | 89.75 |
| Canada | 81.6 | 4.5 | 8.4 | 6.6 | 29.4 | – |
| Denmark | 81.5 | 2.4 | 0 | 4.7 | 19.7 | 82.69 |
| France | 82.4 | 3.7 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 21.6 | 86.94 |
| Germany | 80.8 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 6.6 | 22.3 | 83.06 |
| Italy | 82.7 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 6.8 | 19.9 | 91.59 |
| Japan | 84.5 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 9.4 | 4.3 | 91.38 |
| Netherlands | 81.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 20.4 | 85.86 |
| Norway | 83.2 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 23.1 | 89.09 |
| Sweden | 83.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 20.6 | 90.24 |
| United Kingdom | 80.4 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 27.8 | 84.28 |
| United States | 76.4 | 5.4 | 23.8 | 8.5 | 36.2 | 73.02 |
SOURCES
Columns 1 – 4: OECD (Health)
Average Life Expectancy: Health Status > Life Expectancy
All data from 2021 except for United Kingdom (2020).
Infant Mortality (Deaths per 1000 live births): Health Status > Maternal and Infant Mortality
All data from 2021 except for Canada, United States (2020).
Maternal Mortality (Deaths per 100,000 live births): Health Status > Maternal and Infant Mortality
All data from 2021 except for Canada, Italy, United States (2020), United Kingdom (2017), France (2015).
Low Birth Weight (% of total live births): Health Status > Infant Health
All data from 2021 except Germany (2013).
Adult Obesity (%): World Health Organization
Prevalence of obesity in adults, ages 18 and over, 2016.
Bloomberg Global Health Index 2019: World Population Review
Scores are out of 100. The health index takes into account life expectancy, environmental factors, causes of death, clean water availability and health risks factors among others.
Notes
While neither party has done enough to support families and children, the one that is failing most egregiously is — not surprisingly — the one led by the thrice-married tycoon who tangled with a porn star, boasted about grabbing women by the genitals and was found by a jury to have committed sexual assault.
“US life expectancy problem is ‘bigger than we ever thought,’ report finds”
Adrianna Rodriguez
June 2, 2023.
USA Today. U.S. life expectancy continues to plumment, a new report found the country has been at a life expectancy disadvantage since the 1950s, and it has only gotten worse since then. The study published in the American Journal of Public Health also shows more than 50 countries have surpassed the U.S. in life expectancy since the 1930s, and a handful of states may be partly responsible.
“Federally-supported initiatives aim to reduce maternal mortality and shed light on the effects of therapeutics on pregnant and lactating women”
Lindsay Milliken, Michael A. Fisher and Federation of American Scientists
June 1, 2021.
FAS. The maternal mortality in the U.S. has been rising since 2000, the worst of all industrialized countries with about 700 deaths each year. NIH initiatives directed towards prescription drugs used by pregnant and lactating women has awarded over $7 million in grants to address disparities in maternal mortality.
“US to drop 21 places in global life expectancy ranking by 2040”
Kristin Hugo
October 19, 2018.
Life expectancy worldwide is expected to keep improving but the U.S. is not increasing as fast as other countries. It is estimated that the U.S. will drop from it’s 2016 rank of 21st to a rank of 43rd by 2040.
“Obesity Keeps Ballooning in U.S., With Rural Areas Seeing Biggest Spikes”
Lisa Esposito
July 11, 2018.
U.S. News. Obesity rates in children and adults keep climbing in the U.S. with the biggest spikes seen in rural areas. Youth obesity has increased from 15.4 percent (2005-2006) to 16.9 percent (2010) to 17 percent (2014) according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. While 5.1 percent of children in metropolitan areas are severely obese, 9.4 percent are considered severely obese in rural parts of the country.
You will find more infographics at Statista
Page updated on 1/19/2024.