12 Countries with the Lowest Rates of Heart and Coronary Disease in the World

Which are the countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world?

Heart and coronary diseases belong to the noncommunicable diseases which cause 70% of all deaths, and only cardiovascular diseases represent 31% of all deaths in the world. The causes of these diseases vary and are usually a combination of many factors, including alcohol and tobacco consummation, unhealthy diet, obesity, stress, diabetes, insufficient physical activity, high blood pressure, etc. As smoking is one of the biggest factors in this issue, it is good having in mind that not only active smokers but also people affected by secondhand smoking have a higher risk of getting a heart disease.

Cardiovascular, coronary and heart attack statistics worldwide show that men are more prone to these diseases than women in general, and as you will see that will also be the case in countries with the lowest rates of coronary heart diseases on our list. One of the reasons, among the usual factors we have noted above that affect both sexes, might lie in specific sex hormones in men that lead to high cholesterol and blood pressure, as shown in a research.

An interesting fact shows that deaths caused by heart and coronary diseases also vary drastically between low- and high-income countries. So, if you were asking yourself why does France have low heart disease rate, here might lie part of the answer, as France holds a high position on the list of 25 Richest Countries in the World by 2017 GDP for example. But, there are also some interesting observations about this question about France that you will see proceeding further on our list.

Now, on the same issue, the rate of heart disease in Japan has been getting rapidly lower lately. The reasons for that are mostly healthy lifestyle, better results in the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (which include low obesity and overweight rates, and lower cholesterol rates, to name a few). The similar example is also with cancer. New studies have shown that cancer rates are starting to decline in high-income countries, and rise in low-income countries. But, as low-income and developing countries are less prone to major cancer-causing factors, such as tobacco consumption and being overweight for example, you should not be surprised to find them at among 11 Countries with the Lowest Cancer Rates in the World.

For our research we have used the most reliable source on this issue, and that is the World Health Organization, since they gather information on every aspect of health throughout the world. There we have gained statistics and figures for the countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary diseases. The data we used consisted of cardiovascular disease statistics worldwide 2014, since we have used Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseaes 2014, as being the latest report on these issues.

We have thought which parameters would be the most satisfying to answer your question, whether we should include rates of diseases in general or death rates by heart and coronary diseases. We have chosen to go on death rates, since we have found summarized figures for death rates caused by cardiovascular and heart diseases by country. So, the figures we used for our list of thelowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world represent age-standardized death rate from cardiovascular diseases by country per 100,000 people for both males and females.

As you will see here which those countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world are, you can also check out the opposite side of the issue in 11 Countries with the Highest Heart Disease Rates in the World. And to see which country has the lowest rate of heart disease, proceed down to our list:

12. Denmark

men: 134.6

women: 85.5

Denmark seems to be doing a great work in preventing heart and coronary diseases. A great decrease of deaths caused by these diseases has dropped as much as 70% in the period 1985-2009. That is by far the greatest decrease of heart diseases seen in whole Europe. It seems that the secret lies in the improvement in dietary practices, as Denmark has been the first country to band trans fats, which increase the risk of heart and coronary diseases.

11. Luxembourg

men: 131.5

women: 88.2

Cardiovascular diseases represent 35.2% of all deaths in Luxembourg, and among top deadly ones are ischemic heart diseases and strokes. Anyway, rates of ischemic heart diseases have been decreasing slowly since the mid-1980s, as well as cerebrovascular diseases which were the main killer of women aged 25-64, what put Luxembourg on the list of countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world.

10. Italy

men: 129.7

women: 85.4

Low mortality rates caused by heart and coronary diseases in Italy are mostly due to the changes in lifestyle. That was shown by a research, observing mortality rates by these diseases in the period 1980-2000, where figures appear to be like this: 40% of decrease was due to medical treatments, and as much as 55% due to changes in risk factors.

9. Netherlands

men: 128.8

women: 84.9

The Netherlands has been successfully fighting cardiovascular diseases by improvements in medical treatment and spreading awareness of risk factors such as unhealthy lifestyle. A research observing heart diseases in the Netherlands has shown that in the period 1997-2007 mortality rate from coronary diseases has decreased by 48%, so no wonder the Netherlands is among top countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world.

8. New Zealand

men: 122.3

women: 86.2

As the main mortality factor worldwide, heart diseases are no exception for New Zealand as well. Moreover, here they cause 40% of all deaths annually. Cardiovascular diseases are of serious concern for New Zealand’s health budget, so 11% of health budget is reserved for them. Also, indigenous peoples like Maori are more prone to heart and coronary diseases (40.2%) than those of European origin (10.5%), which is explained by poverty, social status and unhealthy lifestyles.

7. Switzerland

men: 122

women: 77.9

The 7th place on our list of countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world goes to the Swiss who take very much care about their health. Being among top 10 Thinnest Countries in Europe with a great number of people aged 50+ involved in some kind of regular physical activity as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Also, an interesting research has shown that heart diseases in Switzerland are less likely to affect the people living at the higher altitudes.

6. Spain

men: 121.4

women: 75.6

Spain has 32.5% mortality rate caused by cardiovascular diseases. Also, even though being among European countries with the lowest heart and coronary disease rates, and many of these diseases decreasing (ischemic heart disease decreased by 16%, and stroke by 23% since 1990s) some cardiovascular diseases are on the rise even by 93%! Those diseases are mostly triggered by an unhealthy lifestyle, increase in obesity rates and unhealthy diet, low physical activity and smoking, which is much more present among the lower educated population.

5. Iceland

men: 118.

women: 87.2

Even though Iceland is among the top countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world, these still remain the main cause of deaths in this country, followed by cancer. But, a research has shown a great progress in curing and preventing heart diseases in Iceland, showing that from 1981 to 2006 heart diseases were declined by as much as 80%!

4. The Republic of Korea

men: 112.6

women: 76.2

Scientists have been observing mortality rates in Korea caused by heart and coronary diseases for the last 30 years, and came to the conclusion that they have been decreasing considerably. Although things are looking good considering this health issue in Korea, smoking rates in this country are on a rise, which might cause a problem in near future.

3. Canada

men: 112.2

women: 68.1

Statistically, Canada is among the top countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world, but that fact should not be taken for granted, since the rates of heart diseases are on the growth especially in younger generations. Also, cardiovascular diseases connected to high cholesterol rates, obesity, high blood pressure and smoking are also more likely to happen among low-income groups of Canadians.

2. France

men: 111.8

women: 65

There is something called “French paradox”, and that is what explains incredibly low rates of cardiovascular diseases among French.  The term was coined in the 1980s by French scientists researching this topic. In short, the paradox is that French generally eat a lot of food rich in cholesterol and saturated fat which generally cause heart and coronary diseases. One answer for this paradox might lie in moderate but constant consumption of red wine because of some of its properties and substances.

1. Japan

men: 108

women: 58.9

As we have already noted before, Japan is among the first countries with the lowest rates of heart and coronary disease in the world. Although a large percentage of the male population are active smokers (30% of men older than 20 years, compared to only 10% of women), the figure has been declining steadily for some decades now. Some scientists note that it is probably the main reason for low rates of cardiovascular diseases and deaths in Japan, despite rising rates of obesity and cholesterol levels. Japanese generally have a healthier lifestyle, with a healthier diet, rich in seafood.