The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) issued a report on October 7 ranking 45 key countries according to a newly-devised Index of National Health (INH). The report claims the new index provides a useful indicator of whether a country is functioning well.

The INH diagnoses countries as if they were individual patients, examining their metabolism (measured by health of the population, resource utilization and consumption), immune system (resource reserves, risk resistance and social peace), nervous system (ability to respond to major risks, sudden events and crises) and behavior (innovation, poverty alleviation, sustainable development).

Table 1 shows Index of Nation Health (INH) ranking of 45 sample countries.

Table 1 INH Ranking List

"We are all familiar with global threats from terrorism, energy shortages, a deteriorating environment, climate change and financial crises," said the reports' author, Prof. Yang Duogui of CAS. "Our five-year study analyzes the overall ability of countries to respond to these challenges."

"Even more than wealth or power, overall national health is the target countries will pursue in the 21st century," he added.

As might be expected, developed countries score higher on the INH than developing countries. The top five countries are Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Australia and the bottom five are Egypt, Ukraine, Pakistan, Venezuela and Nigeria.

But there are some surprises; China ranks 13th in the list, heading the group of developing countries, and above France, Germany, Japan and Spain. Italy scores poorly, coming out below Brazil and the Russian Federation.

The 45 countries studied account for 89.5% of global GDP, 76.6 percent of global population and 64.2 percent of the world's land area.

The report also looks at the effects of major systemic crises such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and the current US subprime crisis.

(China.org.cn by Guo Xiaohong October 9, 2008)