The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) produced the Healthcare Outcomes Index 2014. The goal was to rank the world’s countries by how effectively they spent money on healthcare. The EIU developed a balanced set of outcome rankings using basic factors like life expectancy and infant mortality rates. Many other diverse and complex factors were considered.

The EIU project also examined how much countries spend each year on healthcare per capita. By combining the health outcomes and the amount spent, the project was able to create rankings of how effectively countries use their healthcare budgets. Some years ago, I would have guessed America would rank the best. That was before I studied healthcare. America spends the most, second to none. Unfortunately, the outcomes that result are not very good. See the full infographic here.

Read more about how American healthcare compares to other countries in Health Attitude.