A new study reveals that the healthiest country to age in is Japan, a finding which reflects high quality of life, good healthcare and affordable living. The Netherlands ranks second with a life expectancy of 82.3 years. Portugal stands out with the best climate.
A journalist research company Journo Report analysed 200 countries to identify the ones that are the healthiest to age in. The study takes into account life expectancy, age dependency, quality of life, safety, healthcare as well as climate index and happiness ranking. Each of these criteria were analysed to calculate the composite score, by which countries are ranked.
The data is taken from open reports by the World Health Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Worldometer.
The top ten rankings were:
- Japan
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- Luxembourg
- Spain
- South Korea
- Finland
- Austria
- Portugal
Coming top Japan, with the maximum score of 100, has good healthcare and affordable cost of living. Japan is the second most affordable country on the list and has the longest life expectancy in the ranking with 84.8 years.
The Netherlands ranks second in the list of the healthiest countries for aging, with the composite score of 95.1. The country ranks high when it comes to happiness and has the second highest quality of life in the ranking, earning its place in the list.
Denmark takes third place, getting a score of 93.7. The life expectancy in Denmark is similar to the Netherlands but the health index is slightly lower. The high quality of life index, one of a few above 200, puts the country in the top-3.
Switzerland follows closely with fourth positions and a score of 92.1. It falls behind Denmark or the Netherlands because of the higher cost of living but provides the citizens with solid quality of life and healthcare.
Luxembourg is fifth in the ranking of the healthiest countries to age in, with a score of 91.6. The country ranks just above Switzerland in overall happiness and has the highest quality of life. Compared to other countries, it has a lower climate index influencing its place in the ranking.
Spain ranks sixth, earning a score of 90.9. The average life expectancy here is 83.3 years and the country has the second most favourable climate in the top-10. Compared to Luxembourg or Switzerland, Spain falls behind in quality of life but compensates with a well-built healthcare system. In seventh place is South Korea, scoring 89.7. The age dependency ratio in South Korea is the lowest in the list at 10 percent, showing that older people rarely depend on the younger generation.
Finland takes eighth place, with a score of 89.2. The country is considered to be happiest in the world, coupled with high quality of life and good healthcare. Austria is ninth, getting a score of 88.5. The life expectancy here is similar to Finland. Portugal closes the ranking of the healthiest countries for aging with tenth place and a score of 87. The country has the best climate in the ranking which is important for older people.
