How Healthy is the United States Compared to Other Countries?

It’s no secret that health in the United States ranks lower than that of many other industrialized nations but did you know it was this bad?

Life Expectancy

According to the World Fact Book (data compiled by the CIA) the United States ranks 43rd for life expectancy at birth. with an expectancy of 79.68 years, nearly a full 10 years behind Monaco, the country holding the number one spot at 89.52 years. The 41 countries in between include Japan, Hong Kong, many of the European nations, Canada, and Israel.

Maternal Death Rate

There are 47 countries that had a lower maternal death rate in 2010 (the latest available data). In the United States, 21 women die from complications per 100,000 live births compared to 2 per 100,000 in Estonia, 3 in Greece, 3 in Singapore, 4 in Italy, and so on.

Infant Mortality Rate

The infant mortality rate, the number of infants who die before reaching their first birthday, is another shameful ranking – with 5.87 deaths per 1,000 live births. A terrible ranking with 57 countries ahead of us. Again, Monaco takes the top spot with 1.82 deaths per 1,000 births.

Fetal Death Rate

In 2011-2013, the fetal death rate, the rate of miscarriage after 20 weeks gestation, surpassed the infant mortality rate, though the numbers are very close. In 2013, the rate was 5.96 per 1,000 live births, giving the United States a high rate of loss before and after birth. What does this say about the health of our nation?

Health Expenditures

In 2012, the United States actually rank number one in this category – health expenditures – 17.9% of the GDP. Let’s compare that to Monaco with its greatest life expectancy and lowest infant mortality. It ranked 155 on the list of 191 countries with 4.40%. Estonia, with its lowest maternal death rate, ranked 113 with 5.90%.

Conclusion

Something is very wrong with this picture. We spend the most on healthcare but our lifespan is shorter than the leading nation. What do we have an abundance of? An ever growing abundance of vaccines and processed “foods” filled with genetically modified organisms, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and pesticides.

We can choose a healthy lifestyle. We can choose alternative health care and focus on nutrition as our primary source of healing. We can choose to live an organic lifestyle.