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.

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

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

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.