Germany is one of the least physically active countries in the world, according to a new ranking compiled by Compare the Market Australia. The ranking places Germany outside the top 20 healthiest countries in the world. 

Compare the Market Australia: The World’s Healthiest Countries

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, while many people are stuck inside their homes waiting for restrictions to lift, staying healthy and active is especially challenging. So Compare the Market Australia has investigated which countries are the most successful in encouraging and fostering a healthy lifestyle. 

The data, which was gathered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), examines numerous health-related factors such as exercise, alcohol consumption and vaccination rates. Each country was awarded a normalised score out of 10 across eight different factors:

• Life expectancy
• Vaccination rate
• Percentage of smokers (over the age of 15)
• Alcohol consumption (over the age of 15)
• Probability of premature death (probability of dying between the ages of 30 and 70 from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease)
• Prevalence of obesity among adults (BMI of 30 or higher)
• Prevalence of insufficient physical activity among adults
• Access to basic drinking water

Japan and South Korea claimed the top two spots in the ranking, while European countries claimed 13 out of the top 20 spots.

Germany came in 25th on the ranking

It seems that Germany is one of Europe’s less healthy countries, coming in at 25th, behind Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy, Slovenia, Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria and France - pretty shocking!

Germany scored particularly poorly for exercise and physical activity. The country scored an index of 42,2 for insufficient physical activity in adults - compare that to Finland's score of 16,6! Alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking are also especially prevalent in Germany, while the obesity rate of 22,3 percent is above average.

The World’s Healthiest Countries according to Compare the Market Australia

According to the ranking, the top 10 healthiest countries in the world are: 

1. Japan - 79,2 out of 100
2. South Korea - 78,76
3. Finland - 77
4. Norway - 75,88
5. Sweden - 75,38
6. Switzerland - 74,46
7. Costa Rica - 72,09
8. The Netherlands - 71,35
9. Denmark - 71,35
10. China - 71,17

For the full ranking and breakdown of how each country scored on each component, visit Compare the Market Australia’s website.