Asia Trounces U.S. in Health-Efficiency Index Amid Pandemic
- Brazil and Russia also place in bottom tier of global rankings
- Taiwan, New Zealand, Thailand rise to Top 10 on Covid response
Medical workers direct residents at a Covid-19 testing centre in Hong Kong on Dec. 10.
Photographer: Roy Liu/BloombergAs a pandemic ravaged the world, Asian economies led by Hong Kong and Singapore topped a ranking of most-efficient health care systems.
The Bloomberg Health-Efficiency Index, first conducted in 2013, tracks life expectancy and medical spending to determine which health-care systems have the best outcomes. This year’s results include the impact of Covid-19 on mortality and gross domestic product in 57 of the world’s largest economies.
These measures helped many Asian territories improve their standing on the list since their generally aggressive coronavirus responses kept cases and deaths relatively low. Brazil and Russia joined the U.S. in the bottom tier, reflecting relatively low life expectancies along with high Covid-19 mortality and weaker economic outlooks.