Countries with Best Healthcare in the World

Multiple index reports are published every year (or every half year) measuring the healthcare performance of the countries across the world. Some of these reports are published by pertinent international bodies or organisations specialising in statistical data and rankings, while others are issued by think tanks and news media.

In this article, we have considered five healthcare performance indexes coming from four different sources, namely, Numbeo (a crowd-sourced online database), Prosperity Institute (a think tank formerly known as Legatum Institute), CEOWorld (business magazine and news site), and U.S. News & World Report (media company).

We have also consulted The Commonwealth Fund’s report titled ‘Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing U.S. Health System’, which compares health system performances by 10 developed countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US).

While the country rankings slightly vary from index to index given their differences in areas such as research methodology or contributing factors, the overall picture is more or less similar. As expected, many countries in East or South-East Asia, Europe and Scandinavia feature among the top countries for healthcare, thanks to their high standards of service and social security policies.

Page Contents

• Global Index Reveals the Countries with the Best Healthcare
• Healthcare System Performance Rankings: Methodology and Contributing Factors
• Best Healthcare Systems in the World: Country Rankings
• Taiwan
• South Korea
• Australia
• Canada
• Sweden
• Ireland
• Netherlands
• Germany
• Norway
• Israel
• Belgium
• Switzerland
• Japan
• United Kingdom
• How London Immigration Lawyers Can Help
• Frequently Asked Questions

Before we discuss the healthcare systems of these countries in detail, however, let us take a quick look into the research methodology behind these index reports and what factors they have taken into consideration to arrive at the rankings. It will help you understand what parameters you must look for when conducting your personal research about the healthcare infrastructure of your chosen destination country.

Generally speaking, accessibility and affordability are two main parameters by which a country’s healthcare system performance is usually measured.

To put it simply, accessibility refers to how easy or difficult it is for the residents of a country, irrespective of their socioeconomic status or geographical location, to get appropriate healthcare facilities and services when and where they need them. On the other hand, affordability in the context of healthcare points to a person’s or a household’s ability (or inability) to access required health and care help without facing any financial burdens.

The Commonwealth Fund has used 70 health system performance measures in its ‘Mirror, Mirror 2024’ report, distributed across the five following areas:

• Access to care
• Care process
• Administrative efficiency
• Equity
• Health outcomes

The CEOWorld Index focuses on factors such as healthcare infrastructure, health and care professionals; healthcare cost, availability of quality medicine, and government readiness to measure the overall quality of a country’s healthcare system. Factors like access to clean water or sanitation facilities have also been taken into consideration while preparing this index.

The Numbeo indices depend on user-contributed data and perceptions, so may be unwittingly subject to different biases. Its Healthcare Index evaluates the healthcare infrastructure, services, and resources available in a specific country against its total number of people. Its Healthcare Exp Index, on the other hand, emphasises both the positive and the negative aspects of a country’s healthcare system through an exponential increase.

Per the CEOWorld Health Care Index 2024, the top ten countries in terms of healthcare infrastructure and performance are: Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, and Israel (in that order). Some of these countries also feature in the top 10 or top 20 lists in the other index reports.

In this article, we have discussed at length the healthcare system in each of these 10 countries. In addition, the respective healthcare infrastructures of Belgium, Switzerland, Japan and UK have also been explained keeping in mind the frequent questions we receive from our clients in this context.

This East Asian country, renowned for its modern cities, beautiful mountains, and an advanced economy thanks to a strong technology sector, also has the best healthcare infrastructure in the world, according to the CEOWorld Health Care Index 2024.

Taiwan offers universal healthcare coverage, which can be accessed by everyone in the country, including the immigrants as long as they hold a residency card. The system is not only accessible but affordable, with an efficient single-payer system. Modern healthcare facilities populated with well-trained doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals further reinforce the strength of a health system that emphasises prevention over cure.

Many of the medical staff in Taiwan speak English, so language is not a concern. Plus, medical records are kept in digital format, making the system fast and efficient.

South Korean healthcare infrastructure holds the second position in the world thanks to its National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), well-trained medical and care staff, and modern facilities equipped with advanced medical technologies.

While public healthcare does not come free of cost in South Korea, the NHIS typically covers 50-80% of the expenses and also offers reasonable rates for the rest. All residents can access NHIS as long as you are going to live in the country for more than six months. Private health insurance is also quite affordable in case you want to opt for the same.

While language is not a concern in urban South Korea given most medical professionals speak English in the cities, you may face some difficulties in this context as you move to the rural parts.

Australia has ranked third in the CEOWorld Health Care Index 2024 for having an excellent public healthcare system provided through Medicare. All citizens and permanent residents of Australia are covered by this single-payer, universal healthcare programme to access the best possible health and care facilities at low or no cost.

However, if you are holding a work or study permit in Australia, you must opt for a private health insurance policy. High earners in Australia also often opt for private insurance given benefits like shorter waiting time for seeing a doctor, etc.

However, healthcare affordability has been identified as a problem area for Australia in The Commonwealth Fund’s report. Plus, if you are residing in remote areas, you are likely to have less health and care options compared to those living in the cities.

Compared to many of the developed nations, Canada has done a good job in recent years by improving equity in its healthcare sector across genders and locations, per The Commonwealth Fund’s 2025 report.

The country offers free public healthcare to its citizens and residents. However, as with most public healthcare systems across the world, the waiting time is sure to be longer compared to private health facilities. Moreover, discrimination against refugees or LGBTQ+ people has recently been reported in certain scenarios.

All in all, notwithstanding the pressures put on the country’s public healthcare system by COVID-19, an aging population, and political resistance to reform, Canada continues to offer high-quality care services provided by well-trained and highly professional doctors and nurses, according to The Commonwealth Fund’s report.

Sweden boasts of one of the best healthcare systems in Europe. The country’s excellent life expectancy and superb quality of life are often attributed to its robust public healthcare services that come at reasonable costs. Along with citizens and permanent residents, foreign workers holding long-term work permits are also covered by public health insurance in Sweden.

In Europe, Sweden has the highest rate of physicians per capita. The health and care services are provided by the local county councils and municipal governments in line with the central government’s healthcare policies, thereby ensuring higher accessibility regardless of your geographical location in the country.

The central government also closely monitors the healthcare sector, and conducts National Patient Surveys annually to identify gap areas or challenges.

Public healthcare in Ireland is available to anyone residing in the country legally for one year or more, which is a major pull for expats.

However, overcrowding and long waiting times are two major challenges of Ireland’s public healthcare system, which drive more people to take up private health insurance than in any other country in Europe. This possibly explains why Ireland fares relatively less well in the Numbeo indices that are based on crowd-sourced information.

The Irish government is working steadily since 2017 to reform its healthcare system. The new healthcare plan, known as ‘Sláintecare’, aims to

• Reduce patient waiting lists
• Expand hospital capacity
• Take back public hospital beds from private insurers
• Hire doctors and nurses from the private network to work in public clinics via pay incentives, and
• Improve the country’s digital health policies regarding patient data and treatment

The plan is expected to be implemented by 2030.

In terms of affordability and availability of healthcare infrastructure, the Netherlands ranks ahead of most of its developed peers according to The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 report. However, immigrants must note that the country does not offer any public healthcare unlike many other European countries.

The healthcare facilities in the Netherlands are quite high on quality with low waiting times. It is not difficult to find English-speaking doctors and nurses, so language is not a concern for expats.

Plus, to ensure that everyone in the country can avail and afford health and care services, the Netherlands government closely monitors the access, quality and healthcare costs.

Germany fares closely to the Netherlands in terms of healthcare affordability and availability, explains The Commonwealth Fund’s report. Its universal, multi-payer healthcare system, mainly funded by the government, is one of the most successful healthcare systems in the world.

In addition, given its historically-proven excellence in medical and scientific research, you are likely to find in Germany the best doctors and treatment possible for challenging ailments and disorders.

Norway offers effective and high-quality medical services thanks to its broader public health policies. However, it comes at a high cost for the government. Norway is one of the highest spenders across Europe when it comes to the healthcare sector taking care of more than 85% of health expenses, with patients covering the rest. People living in Norway usually make out-of-pocket payments in areas such as dental, pharmaceuticals, outpatient medical care, and long-term institutional care for the elderly or disabled.

The government has been actively working in recent years to improve the people-centeredness of its health system. Numerous Healthcare Communities have been set up to facilitate joint planning and coordination of care between municipalities and regions. Plus, efforts have been made to further strengthen primary care and public health. Crisis-preparedness has been another notable feature of the current Norwegian healthcare policy.

The World Health Organization has previously ranked Israel’s healthcare system fifth in the world in terms of quality and innovation. The country’s ‘National Health Insurance Law’ protects the right of its citizens and permanent residents to receive medical treatment “within a reasonable time and at a reasonable distance from their place of residence.”

However, bureaucratic hurdles and language can pose considerable challenges to healthcare accessibility for expats in Israel. Official details are only available in Hebrew in most cases, with their English translations often outdated or difficult to find.

In terms of public spending in the healthcare sector, Belgium is among the top 10 countries in Europe. The country’s healthcare policies aim to ensure healthcare accessibility, improved quality of care, sustainability, and enhanced efficiency of the health system. Improving resilience has also become a policy goal since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost all Belgium residents are covered by compulsory social health insurance. Independent medical practice, direct access to treatment, free choice of physician and facility, and predominantly fee-for-service payment are some of the major pillars of Belgium’s healthcare infrastructure.

Switzerland has a universal healthcare system that is of exceptionally high standards. Accessibility, health outcomes, and staffing are three major strengths of Swiss health infrastructure. However, it does not provide any free healthcare services, and private health insurance is, in fact, mandatory for every resident.

However, private insurance companies are mandated to offer basic insurance to everyone in Switzerland. No discrimination They based on age, sex, or medical condition is acceptable in the eyes of Swiss law. Plus, these companies are not allowed to make a profit on the basic insurance.

Japan is known for its long life expectancy thanks to an advanced, high-quality healthcare system. The focus of the Japanese health system is on prevention (e.g., routine medical check-ups resulting in early detection) rather than reactive treatment.

Public healthcare can be accessed by all citizens and residents, including foreigners who are going to stay in Japan for more than three months. However, expats often choose additional insurance plans as treatment is not entirely free.

The UK’s universal public healthcare system is known as the National Health Service (NHS). The Commonwealth Fund ranks the UK’s health system among the top three out of the 10 developed countries studied in their ‘Mirror, Mirror 2024’ report.

One of the largest public healthcare systems worldwide, the NHS stands on four pillars: universality, free delivery, equity, and central funding. It offers free or subsidised healthcare across the UK. Despite rampant criticisms from certain quarters and significant systemic challenges, the NHS remains a role model for many healthcare systems worldwide.

Recently the NHS has come under the heat for long waiting times. In reality, reduced funding has taken its toll on this otherwise exceptional healthcare system. However, even if you opt for private health insurance plans given all that, note that they are still comparatively cheaper in the UK than many of its peers (e.g., the US).