Healthcare Systems Ranked by the WHO

World Health Systems

How does the healthcare system in your country compare with that of other countries? The World Health Organization has ranked the overall performance of each country’s health system.

RankCountry
1France
2Italy
3San Marino
4Andorra
5Malta
6Singapore
7Spain
8Oman
9Austria
10Japan
11Norway
12Portugal
13Monaco
14Greece
15Iceland
16Luxembourg
17Netherlands
18United Kingdom
19Ireland
20Switzerland
21Belgium
22Colombia
23Sweden
24Cyprus
25Germany
26Saudi Arabia
27United Arab Emirates
28Israel
29Morocco
30Canada
31Finland
32Australia
33Chile
34Denmark
35Dominica
36Costa Rica
37United States of America
38Slovenia
39Cuba
40Brunei
41New Zealand
42Bahrain
43Croatia
44Qatar
45Kuwait
46Barbados
47Thailand
48Czech Republic
49Malaysia
50Poland
51Dominican Republic
52Tunisia
53Jamaica
54Venezuela
55Albania
56Seychelles
57Paraguay
58SouthKorea
59Senegal
60Philippines
61Mexico
62Slovakia
63Egypt
64Kazakhstan
65Uruguay
66Hungary
67Trinidad and Tobago
68SaintLucia
69Belize
70Turkey
71Nicaragua
72Belarus
73Lithuania
74Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
75Argentina
76Sri Lanka
77Estonia
78Guatemala
79Ukraine
80Solomon Islands
81Algeria
82Palau
83Jordan
84Mauritius
85Grenada
86Antigua and Barbuda
87Libya
88Bangladesh
89Macedonia
90Bosnia-Herzegovina
91Lebanon
92Indonesia
93Iran
94Bahamas
95Panama
96Fiji
97Benin
98Nauru
99Romania
100Saint Kitts and Nevis
101Moldova
102Bulgaria
103Iraq
104Armenia
105Latvia
106Yugoslavia
107Cook Islands
108Syria
109Azerbaijan
110Suriname
111Ecuador
112India
113Cape Verde
114Georgia
115El Salvador
116Tonga
117Uzbekistan
118Comoros
119Samoa
120Yemen
121Niue
122Pakistan
123Micronesia
124Bhutan
125Brazil
126Bolivia
127Vanuatu
128Guyana
129Peru
130Russia
131Honduras
132Burkina Faso
133Sao Tome and Principe
134Sudan
135Ghana
136Tuvalu
137Ivory Coast
138Haiti
139Gabon
140Kenya
141Marshall Islands
142Kiribati
143Burundi
144China
145Mongolia
146Gambia
147Maldives
148Papua New Guinea
149Uganda
150Nepal
151Kyrgystan
152Togo
153Turkmenistan
154Tajikistan
155Zimbabwe
156Tanzania
157Djibouti
158Eritrea
159Madagascar
160Vietnam
161Guinea
162Mauritania
163Mali
164Cameroon
165Laos
166Congo
167North Korea
168Namibia
169Botswana
170Niger
171Equatorial Guinea
172Rwanda
173Afghanistan
174Cambodia
175SouthAfrica
176Guinea-Bissau
177Swaziland
178Chad
179Somalia
180Ethiopia
181Angola
182Zambia
183Lesotho
184Mozambique
185Malawi
186Liberia
187Nigeria
188Democratic Republic of the Congo
189Central African Republic
190Myanmar
   
RankAlphabetical by Country
173Afghanistan
55Albania
81Algeria
4Andorra
181Angola
86Antigua and Barbuda
75Argentina
104Armenia
32Australia
9Austria
109Azerbaijan
94Bahamas
42Bahrain
88Bangladesh
46Barbados
72Belarus
21Belgium
69Belize
97Benin
124Bhutan
126Bolivia
90Bosnia-Herzegovina
169Botswana
125Brazil
40Brunei
102Bulgaria
132Burkina Faso
143Burundi
174Cambodia
164Cameroon
30Canada
113Cape Verde
189Central African Republic
178Chad
33Chile
144China
22Colombia
118Comoros
166Congo
107Cook Islands
36Costa Rica
43Croatia
39Cuba
24Cyprus
48Czech Republic
188Democratic Republic of the Congo
34Denmark
157Djibouti
35Dominica
51Dominican Republic
111Ecuador
63Egypt
115El Salvador
171Equatorial Guinea
158Eritrea
77Estonia
180Ethiopia
96Fiji
31Finland
1France
139Gabon
146Gambia
114Georgia
25Germany
135Ghana
14Greece
85Grenada
78Guatemala
161Guinea
176Guinea-Bissau
128Guyana
138Haiti
131Honduras
66Hungary
15Iceland
112India
92Indonesia
93Iran
103Iraq
19Ireland
28Israel
2Italy
137Ivory Coast
53Jamaica
10Japan
83Jordan
64Kazakhstan
140Kenya
142Kiribati
45Kuwait
151Kyrgystan
165Laos
105Latvia
91Lebanon
183Lesotho
186Liberia
87Libya
73Lithuania
16Luxembourg
89Macedonia
159Madagascar
185Malawi
49Malaysia
147Maldives
163Mali
5Malta
141Marshall Islands
162Mauritania
84Mauritius
61Mexico
123Micronesia
101Moldova
13Monaco
145Mongolia
29Morocco
184Mozambique
190Myanmar
168Namibia
98Nauru
150Nepal
17Netherlands
41New Zealand
71Nicaragua
170Niger
187Nigeria
121Niue
167North Korea
11Norway
8Oman
122Pakistan
82Palau
95Panama
148Papua New Guinea
57Paraguay
129Peru
60Philippines
50Poland
12Portugal
44Qatar
99Romania
130Russia
172Rwanda
100Saint Kitts and Nevis
74Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
68SaintLucia
119Samoa
3San Marino
133Sao Tome and Principe
26Saudi Arabia
59Senegal
56Seychelles
6Singapore
62Slovakia
38Slovenia
80Solomon Islands
179Somalia
175SouthAfrica
58SouthKorea
7Spain
76Sri Lanka
134Sudan
110Suriname
177Swaziland
23Sweden
20Switzerland
108Syria
154Tajikistan
156Tanzania
47Thailand
152Togo
116Tonga
67Trinidad and Tobago
52Tunisia
70Turkey
153Turkmenistan
136Tuvalu
149Uganda
79Ukraine
27United Arab Emirates
18United Kingdom
37United States of America
65Uruguay
117Uzbekistan
127Vanuatu
54Venezuela
160Vietnam
120Yemen
106Yugoslavia
182Zambia
155Zimbabwe



Note: Not everyone agrees with the above performance ranking. We’re always suspicious of the “rankings” released by international organizations. They always seem to throw in something about “fairness” or “inequality” to make sure that the USA ranks below more collectivist-minded nations. This WHO study is no different. Here is a quote from their report that explains their overall performance rating:

“In designing the framework for health system performance, WHO broke new methodological ground, employing a technique not previously used for health systems. It compares each country’s system to what the experts estimate to be the upper limit of what can be done with the level of resources available in that country. It also measures what each country’s system has accomplished in comparison with those of other countries.”

“WHO’s assessment system was based on five indicators: overall level of population health; health inequalities (or disparities) within the population; overall level of health system responsiveness (a combination of patient satisfaction and how well the system acts); distribution of responsiveness within the population (how well people of varying economic status find that they are served by the health system); and the distribution of the health system’s financial burden within the population (who pays the costs).”

The majority of these indicators are measures of “fairness”, not total health care quality. A country can have the most highly trained doctors, advanced medical technology, and the cleanest most comfortable hospitals…but still rank below a society where the shaman-physicians give the same voodoo medicine to the tribal chief as they do to his subjects.

After 2000, the WHO no longer produced these rankings. They say it was because of the complexity of the task.

Source: WHO World Health Report (PDF file)


If you have experience with a hospital outside of your home country use the form below to compare it with hospitals at home. Please note that all addresses are held confidential.