Japan enjoys the highest life expectancy among OECD countries and does relatively well in improving health outcomes, but it has room to improve in areas such as smoking rates and hospital stays, according to the latest edition of a biennial health care report issued Friday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Health at a Glance 2017, which compares data and trends from health systems in 35 member countries, shows Japan continues to lead in achieving good health outcomes, with the highest life expectancy at 83.9 years, compared to the OECD average of 80.6 years. It also boasts the lowest obesity rate of 3.7 percent, significantly lower than the OECD average of 19.4 percent, and a stroke-caused mortality rate of 34.1 per 100,000 in 2015, way below the OECD average of 112 per 100,000.
"Healthy lifestyles, good access to health care and a generally high quality of care have contributed to such favorable health outcomes, all achieved with a level of spending not much higher than the OECD average," the report said about Japan's performance.
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