Where are people happiest with their health?

The way we view our own health can have a major impact on our well-being and happiness. According to data from the OECD’s Health at a Glance 2015 report, New Zealanders are most positive about their own health, with 90% of respondents reporting their health to be good or very good.

The report brings together the most recent comparable data on the OECD member nations’ health systems, including information on perceived health status. For the current data, the authors gather data from national surveys and group it into five categories – very good, good, fair, poor, very poor – based on responses to the question: “How is your health in general?”

Below New Zealand in second place is Canada, where 89% of respondents consider their health to be good or very good. Canada’s neighbour the United States completes the top 3, with 88%.

European nations dominate the rest of the top 10, with Ireland in 4^th, Iceland in 9^th and Norway in 10^th. Other countries to feature on the list are Australia, which takes 4^{th place}, and Israel in 8^th.

The report acknowledges that cultural and demographic differences between countries can make comparison difficult. However, despite this, it argues that such surveys have proven to be good predictors of healthcare use and mortality rates in the future.

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Author: Joe Myers is a Digital Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: A woman jogs along the Charles River. REUTERS/Brian Snyder.