SYDNEY, Feb. 26 (People’s Daily Online / Yunxin Bao) The 2019 edition of the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index reveals that Spain surpasses Italy becoming the world’s healthiest country. Australia is ranked the 7th and China the 52nd.

Australia has descended two places from the 2017 survey into the 7th, with a health grade of 89.75. Japan is ranked the healthiest Asian nation, replacing Singapore, which dropped to eighth.

China, home to 1.4 billion people, is expected to surpass the US’s life expectancy by 2040 and has risen three places to 52nd according to the latest health index report. Spain has the highest life expectancy at birth among European Union which is on track to be the highest in the world by 2040, with average Spanish forecast to live for 86 years.

The index evaluates 169 nations based on variables that contribute to overall health including life expectancy while imposing penalties on risks such as tobacco use and obesity. It also takes into account environmental factors, such as access to clean water and sanitation.

According to a study conducted by the University of Navarra Medical School, the higher health level enjoyed by Spain and Italy benefits significantly from their “Mediterranean diet”, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, which has a lower rate of major cardiovascular diseases than those dedicated to a reduced- fat diet.

The Healthiest Country Index places New Zealand in the 18th, UK the 19th and the United States down in the 35th. Except for Haiti, Afghanistan, and Yemen, Sub-Saharan economies accounted for 27 of the 30 unhealthiest nations in the ranking.