12 Unhealthiest Countries in The World

The 12 unhealthiest countries in the world are evidence that despite how technologically advanced we have become, major problems still remain and a sustainable solution is yet to be developed.

While the world has enough resources to sustain life, the issue is that the distribution of the resources is so poor, some are able to benefit immensely while others have to do without. This is why around half of the world’s population, or 3 billion people, are below the poverty line, earning less than $2.50 daily. Poverty brings with it a slew of problems, not least is the lack of access to sanitation and healthcare, which in turn leads to severe long-term issues.

While Western Europe and countries such as Canada and the United States have developed significantly, developing countries are faced with many difficulties, such as lack of resources necessary to combat poor health and diseases. This is why diseases such as malaria, which have been nearly wiped out in the US and Europe, still maintain a significant influence in Africa and many Asian countries.

If you are wondering whether your country is among the 12 unhealthiest countries in the world, you will definitely be interested in reading on. Or, if your country is among the developed nations in the world, it might feature in our Country by Country Life Expectancy: the World’s 15 Healthiest Countries article.

To rank the unhealthiest countries in the world, we initially chose life expectancy as a criterion. While it is not absolutely necessary that a longer life means a healthier one (for eg. a man who has had heart disease since his 20s and lives a painful life till 70 versus a man who passes away at 60 due to an accident but was healthy till the incident), it is still a pretty safe assumption. Only countries which have advanced medical care and have developed techniques to not only fight but get rid of diseases can claim a higher life expectancy. This is the primary reason why Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world.  We traced the life expectancy figures from the World Health’s Organization Report.

That’s not the only indicator that a country needs to improve in the healthcare sector, though. As mentioned earlier, the ability to fight disease is necessary to improve health. However, it is not just the government’s responsibility but our own to take care of ourselves and maintain our health. That is not something many people take seriously, which is why they suffer from diseases, with one of the primary killers being a coronary disease. This doesn’t mean that lack of activities are responsible for coronary disease, it can be genetic as well. Whatever the reason, considering the death toll attributed to the disease. If it is prevalent in a nation, it is an indicator that the nation has serious health issues. While science has still not advanced enough to combat heart disease, which is genetic, a healthy regiment including a proper diet and exercise can still help be useful in reducing the chances of falling to the illness. To trace the statistics pertaining to coronary heart disease, we used the help of World Life Expectancy.

Another result of poor choices and lack of activity is obesity, which is probably one of the most serious issues facing both developed and developing countries, with even countries such as the US being forced to deal with it. In some countries, more than half the population is obese, which is a concerning thought. You may be surprised to know that the average man today weighs around 30 pounds more than the average man in the 1960s. While the food was just a method of survival previously, the amount of junk food present in today’s life is one of the main reasons behind this epidemic. This is why it is the third criterion for our ranking. The information in relation to this was provided once again by the World Health Organization. While the Cook Islands have the most obese population in the world and Palau takes the second spot, they don’t even make our list because they performed well in the other factors.

Now, what is one of the most harmful and unhealthiest activities known to man? If you were thinking of smoking, then pat yourself on the back. Even though everyone knows how harmful this activity is, they still engage in it, and due to the massive profits and lobbying by cigarette companies, the governments in the world do little to regulate or prohibit it. This is why in 2014 alone, 5.8 trillion cigarettes were smoked, a habit which has been picked up by over a billion people worldwide. I have no idea why anyone, let alone a billion people, would throw away their health and their lives for a fleeting rush. The developed countries seem to agree with me though, which is why smoking is on the decline in such countries, including the US, while it is still increasing in developing countries, mainly due to the fact that it is cheap and widely available. Thus, we decided to make it the final criteria to establish our rankings. We required the help of Tobacco Atlas to find out the number of smokers per capita. While Montenegro, with 4,124 cigarettes per adult, come out on top, but due to a low obesity rate, heart disease risk and high life expectancy, it also managed to avoid making our ranking.

Without further ado, let’s check the 12 unhealthiest countries in the world!

12. Ukraine

Obesity rate in the country: 54.2%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 1,853.66

Life expectancy: 71.3 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 384.18 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score: 49.5

Cigarettes are a way of life in Ukraine and this might have a link with the increased number of deaths due to heart disease in the country.

11. Kuwait

Obesity rate in the country: 75.4%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 1,517.26

Life expectancy: 74.7 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 113.15 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  49.75

The country is extremely rich, and a large percentage of the income goes on exorbitant foods, which has led to obesity and heart disease in the country.

10. Fiji

Obesity rate in the country: 71.2%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 617.69

Life expectancy: 69.9 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 207.72 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  49.75

I was honestly surprised to find Fiji here, but the average life expectancy is extremely short and obesity is rampant, with the two probably being linked.

8. Egypt

Obesity rate in the country: 62%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 1,215.3

Life expectancy: 70.9 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 186.36 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  52.75

Egyptians tend to enjoy both food and cigarettes, which could explain the short life expectancy in the nation.

8. Jordan

Obesity rate in the country: 65.9%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 1,855.05

Life expectancy: 74.1 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 131.7 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  52.75

Jordan, one of the unhealthiest countries in the world  is another rich Arab country, hat has faced a recent epidemic of obesity, which has significantly affected the overall quality of health in the country.

7. Azerbaijan

Obesity rate in the country: 58.1%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 2,114.33

Life expectancy: 72.7 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 254.83 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  53.75

Despite free healthcare from the government-run institutions in the country, Azerbaijan’s overall health level has declined in recent years, mainly due to the incredible rate of consumption of cigarettes.

5. Saudi Arabia

Obesity rate in the country: 69.6%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 1,395.14

Life expectancy: 74.5 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 165.67 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  54.25

Many of the countries on this list of unhealthiest countries in the world are rich Arab countries, and Saudi Arabia is just another country where too much money and little care for healthcare has led to a torrid situation.

5. Libya

Obesity rate in the country: 68.7%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 1,332.77

Life expectancy: 72.7 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 149.04 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  54.25

Libya has suffered from civil unrest and distress in recent years, and it is understandable that people did not have much concern for their health, as the usage of cigarettes increased significantly, which is why we put it on our list of unhealthiest countries in the world .

4.  Lebanon

Obesity rate in the country: 68.7%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 3,023.15

Life expectancy: 74.9 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 132.65 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  55.25

Due to a poor distribution of healthcare, it is often not available to people in need, leading to a dire situation.

3. Belarus

Obesity rate in the country: 58%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 3,831.62

Life expectancy: 72.3 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 342.59 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  58.25

Even though healthcare is cheap in the country, the lack of specialized care has led to a high death rate due to heart disease.

2. Russia

Obesity rate in the country: 58.7%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 2,690.33

Life expectancy: 70.5 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 320.4 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  61.75

The second place on our list of unhealthiest countries in the world  goes to Russia and cigarettes that apparenttly go together as well as Russia and vodka, and it is no surprise they have such a high rate of death from heart diseases.

1. Kazakhstan

Obesity rate in the country: 58.8%

Number of cigarettes per adult: 2,156.59

Life expectancy: 70.2 years

Deaths due to coronary heart disease: 358.86 per 100,000 people

Insider Monkey Score:  62.25

Taking a look at Kazakhstan’s statistics leaves little doubt as to why it is number one on the list of the 11 unhealthiest countries in the world. The obesity rate is well over half, and significant efforts are needed to reduce this issue or else it may inflate further, pardon the pun.

Smoking, meanwhile, is less a leisurely activity and more an ingrained practice and a way of life in the country. While statistics aren’t available as to how much of the population suffers from diseases such as cancer due to excessive smoking, I am sure there will be few positives present.

On the other hand, a life expectancy of 70.2 years, while seemingly average, is actually nearly a decade less than the OECD average of 80 years. Therefore, this is another problem that the country has to tackle, increasing the life expectancy rate means taking on a variety of concerns which lead to an early grave.

One of the greatest issues facing Kazakhstan is coronary disease, which claims an incredible 360 lives per every 100,000 people. Proper awareness is required so that people know how to avoid the disease, and just as importantly, how to be able to detect it in the early stages so it can be cured. If too much time lapses, then the chances of survival diminish accordingly as well. With these factors in mind, it is quite certain that Kazakhstan has a huge task on its hand to improve the health of its citizens, a task which can only be accomplished if it is shared by both the government and the general population too.