



By Jung Min-ho







Korea has been ranked among the world's top 10 healthiest countries, according to a recent analysis.





The Global Wellness Index, published on March 4 by investment firm LetterOne, ranks Korea as the ninth best country out of 151.





The index focuses on 10 key metrics ― blood pressure, blood glucose, obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, exercise, life expectancy and government spending on healthcare ― to evaluate a country's health level.





Canada topped the list thanks to its good scores for life expectancy, government healthcare spending and blood pressure, followed by Oman, Iceland and the Philippines.





Big countries, including Japan, Germany, France and Italy, failed to make the top 25, with all faring poorly for high blood pressure scores. Middle Eastern countries ranked relatively high due to good scores in the alcohol category. The United States was hampered by obesity, depression and inactivity.







The top 10 countries are:







Canada







Oman







Iceland







Philippines







Maldives







Netherlands







Singapore







Laos







South Korea







Cambodia

