Australia is generally considered a healthy country with high life expectancy and good care, ranking well globally, but faces significant challenges with rising obesity (over 60% overweight/obese), poor diet quality (low fruit/veg, high processed food), and health disparities, particularly for Indigenous Australians, indicating a mixed picture of overall good health alongside concerning trends.
Globally, Australia has one of the highest rates of overweight and obesity – a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancers, kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.
The Unhealthiest Countries in the World
According to the index, Singapore ranks first for healthcare, followed by Japan in second place and South Korea in third. In contrast, the United States ranks much lower, coming in at 69th place in this assessment. The full rankings are listed below.
Introduction. In the 2024 World Index of Health Innovation, Australia secured the 9th position overall, a decline from 5th place in 2022. This ranking highlights Australia's strengths in Quality and Choice, where it stands 6th and 3rd respectively.
8 Healthiest Cultures with the Best Food in the World
Globally, Australia ranks 10th among OECD countries for overweight and obesity, with a prevalence rate of 64%, exceeding the OECD average of 59%. The health effects are substantial. Excess weight is the second-largest contributor to disease burden, responsible for 8.4% of all cases.
Least Obese Countries by Population:
West Virginia topped WalletHub's 2025 ranking of the most overweight and obese states in the U.S., published Nov. 4, while Colorado is the healthiest-weight state.
1. Processed Meats Like Bacon, Hot Dogs, and Cold Cuts. Processed meats like bologna, ham, and bacon are high in calories and salt and are linked to increased risk of heart disease due to their impact on cholesterol and blood pressure, says Julia Zumpano, RD, registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
The five countries with the unhealthiest diet:
The top 10 issues Australians say are the most concerning
No, Australia is not 90% white; while a large majority identify with European ancestry (around 76-80% in recent years), a significant and growing portion identifies as Asian, African, Middle Eastern, or Indigenous, making it a highly multicultural nation with diverse ethnic backgrounds, not overwhelmingly white. Recent census data shows European ancestry (English, Irish, etc.) makes up a large chunk, but Asian ancestries are also substantial, with over 17% Asian population and around 3.8% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, per the 2021 census data from Wikipedia.
Yes, $70k is a fair salary in Australia, often near the median income, making it a decent living for a single person, especially outside major cities, but it can be tight in expensive areas or for those with high living costs like mortgages, with full-time averages now closer to $90k-$100k.
🇻🇳 Believe it or not, Vietnam is the “thinnest” country in the world! ✨ According to a recent study by WorldAtlas, Vietnam boasts the lowest obesity rate globally, with just 2.1% of its population classified as obese.
The average person in Japan consumes over 200 fewer calories per day than the average American. Food prices are substantially higher in Japan, but the traditional Japanese dietary habits, although changing, are also healthier.
It doesn't mean that being fat is illegal in Japan - it's designed to promote the idea of a healthier population. Here's how it works: Companies and local governments are required to bring in doctors and nurses to measure the waistlines of employees aged 40–74.
Australia performed better or close to the OECD average in 10 health areas measured. We ranked in the top 5 countries in 4 areas: quality of care, coordination of care, person-centred care and physical health.
By 2050, we forecast that 2.2 million Australian children and adolescents will be living with obesity. A further 1.6 million will be overweight. This is a combined prevalence of 50% – and an increase of 146% between 1990 and 2050.
Overweight and obesity by state and territory
The highest prevalence of obesity in 2017–18 was in Tasmania (11.4%), and the lowest was in Western Australia (7.2%). These maps show the proportion of boys and girls with overweight or obesity, in each jurisdiction.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) adds about 33 minutes to your healthy lifespan per serving, according to a University of Michigan study that measured life expectancy impacts of over 5,850 foods using the Health Nutritional Index (HNI). This sandwich tops the list for adding time, with nuts and seeds also being highly beneficial (around 25 mins) and processed items like hot dogs subtracting time.
Top 10 Healthiest Countries in the World
1. Almonds. There you have it — the humble almond can be considered the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. Used to the spotlight by now, almonds have been at the center of multiple studies on heart health and diabetes-related benefits.