In the midst of ongoing economic crisis and alarmingly high smoking rates, Greece’s international health rankings are dropping.

According to the 2019 Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, Greece fell six spots — from 20th to 26th — in the past two years.

Greece has the highest smoking rate in the European Union with 37% of its population as smokers, according to a 2017 report by the European Commission. It also had the lowest proportion of people, 44%, who said they never smoked a cigarette.

For more than a decade, Greece has been plagued with severe economic difficulties. As of December 2018, the unemployment rate was 18% — compared to the EU rate of 6.5% — according to Eurostat.

The Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index ranks 169 economies according to factors that contribute to overall health.

The index ranks each country according to factors such as life expectancy but imposes penalties for factors including tobacco use and obesity. Access to clean water, sanitation and similar environmental factors also factor into the index.   

Chart source: Bloomberg News // Data sources: World Health Organization, United Nations Population Division and World Bank

Featured image / Agence France-Presse