Measuring health of countries: a novel approach

Abstract

We examined the health status of 27 European Union countries by employing statistical I-distance method on various health indicators. Results showed that Ireland tops the list of EU "healthiest countries", while Sweden and Finland are just a small step behind. On the other hand, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania are at the bottom of the list. Further on, I-distance method has provided information as to which input variables are crucial for determining a country's health system performance. We emphasize importance of evaluating health system performances and determining key health indicators.