A new study has revealed that Sweden is the healthiest country in Europe. The research by Snuff Store has analysed multiple factors, including the proportion of the population that smoke, obesity rates and life expectancy. Also included in the assessment is litres of alcohol drunk per year, per capita, the percentage of the population reporting chronic depression and the number of doctors per 1,000 people.
The data set shows:
| Rank | Country | % of smokers | Obesity rate % | Life expectancy | Litres of alcohol drunk per capita per year | % Reporting chronic depression | Doctors per 1000 people | % Of insufficient physical activity | Health Score |
| 1 | Sweden | 6.4 | 20.6 | 83 | 7.5 | 11.7 | 4.3 | 23.13 | 48.53 |
| 2 | Finland | 9.9 | 22.2 | 82 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 16.56 | 47.37 |
| 3 | Moldova | 25.3 | 18.9 | 72 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 13.5 | 45.40 |
| 4 | Belarus | 30.5 | 24.5 | 73 | 11.4 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 14.1 | 45.11 |
| 5 | Norway | 10.2 | 23.1 | 83 | 7.4 | 8 | 4.9 | 31.7 | 44.35 |
| 6 | Iceland | 7.5 | 21.9 | 82 | 7.4 | 15.6 | 3.9 | 27.9 | 44.29 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 25.5 | 19.5 | 84 | 8.9 | 5 | 4.3 | 23.75 | 43.77 |
| 8 | France | 17.8 | 21.6 | 83 | 10.4 | 7.7 | 6.5 | 29.3 | 43.63 |
| 9 | Belgium | 14.6 | 22.1 | 82 | 9.2 | 7.3 | 6.0 | 35.75 | 43.19 |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 15.8 | 27.8 | 82 | 9.7 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 35.86 | 42.96 |
Each country was given a score out of 10 for each factor, which was then totalled to provide a score on the health index. The higher the score, the healthier the country is. The top three nations were found to be:
Sweden
Sweden ranks as one of the highest for quality of life and the new data also shows Sweden is one of the healthiest countries. The country has the lowest number of smokers in Europe, Sweden also has the second-highest life expectancy of 83 and one of the lowest obesity rates. Low obesity rates can be attributed to the low levels of physical inactivity and the fact that Swedes drink less than much of Europe.
Health index – 48.53
Finland
Finland also has very low smoking rates, with under 10 percent of the population being smokers. Like its Scandinavian neighbours, Finland also has low obesity rates and high life expectancy (82). The Finnish are also some of the most physically active, with only 16 percent of the population being insufficiently active.
Health index – 47.37
Moldova
Moldova is the third healthiest country; this is due to its low obesity rates, which is the second lowest in Europe. These low levels could be put down to the percentage of the population that is insufficiently active.
In tenth place, and poorly positioned, is the United Kingdom. Smoking rates in the UK are 15 percent, which is lower than much of Europe, however, the UK has a higher obesity rate at 27 percent, which reflects a high percentage of the population who are insufficiently active. Despite this life expectancy is 82 years which is one of the highest.
Health index – 42.96
With the healthier nations there is more activity, less smoking and drinking and thus, in most cases, lower levels of depression.
