The healthiest people on Earth live in Italy

According to the recently released Bloomberg Global Health Index, Italy is home of the healthiest people on Earth. The survey, which examined 163 countries, explains that a baby born in Italy has a very positive life expectancy, having the chance to live enough to become an octogenarian.

Of course, Italy is ranked amongst the most developed countries in the world, and yet its growth has been stagnating for a long time now: not enough children are born each year in the Belpaese, which is becoming more and more “a country for old people”. Anyway, the survey states that Italians are in way better shape than Americans, Brits and Canadians, and suffer much less of illnesses such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, blood glucose and mental health problems.

One of the main reasons for Italians’ good health is possibly their traditional Mediterranean diet, especially rich in vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals, with some cheese, fish and lean meat. But also the freshness and genuineness of its food, most of time local, organic and fresh, as well as the availability of fresh water.

According to SBS, much credit of Italy’s good health must go to the Italian Healthcare System.

The top positions of the list of the healthiest countries in the world also include Iceland, Switzerland, Singapore and Australia.

Let’s take a look at the top twenty:

1. Italy
2. Iceland
3. Switzerland
4. Singapore
5. Australia
6. Spain
7. Japan
8. Sweden
9. Israel
10. Luxembourg
11. Norway
12. Austria
13. Netherlands
14. France
15. Finland
16. Germany
17. Canada
18. Cyprus
19. New Zealand
20. Greece

The United States of America ranked at number 34, as one of the world’s heaviest nations especially with the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia, where more than 35% of the population is considered obese.