Jamaica has been ranked at Number 16 on the list of the 20 unhealthiest countries in the world in 2019. The list was issued by the Indigo Wellness Index, which provides a global health ranking. The index was compiled by Richard Davies of Bloomsbury Economics, a consulting organization, and published in the journal “Global Perspective” by LetterOne, an investment business. The index is one of the most comprehensive records of its kind and covers 191 countries. The ranking considers ten key criteria: healthy life expectancy, blood pressure, blood glucose (diabetes risk), obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity (too little exercise), and government spending on healthcare. The index then assesses how close each country is to the best overall score through the calculation of a ratio, with the worst score being zero and the best score set at one. Some nations considered to be “idyllic” locations had poor index scores because of their populations’ poor diets and lack of regular exercise.

At Number 16 and a ratio of 0.40, Jamaica had poor scores in several categories, including obesity, government spending on healthcare, smoking, depression, and blood glucose level.

The unhealthiest country in the world according to the Index is South Africa, which had a ratio of 0.28 and scored poorly on all ten measure. In particular, the country’s scores on obesity, drinking, and life expectancy made it 2019’s unhealthiest country. Joining South Africa in the five least healthy countries are St. Lucia with a ratio of 0.29, Kiribati with 0.31, Bulgaria with 0.33, and tied for the ranking of the fifth-most unhealthy country for 2019 with an index ratio of 0.34 are Barbados and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The rankings of other countries in the Caribbean according to the index are the Dominican Republic at Number 18, Trinidad and Tobago at Number 14, Haiti tied at Number 9 with Iraq and Georgia.

The healthiest country in the world as ranked in the Index is Canada.

Source: Business Insider