A healthy population is good for the economy

Newswise — It’s official. A healthy population is good for a nation’s economy, say researchers in this week’s BMJ.

Although it is now accepted that better health increases economic growth in poor countries, it was less clear that this would also be true in rich countries.

So the researchers examined the link between health and wealth in rich countries and found that healthier people are more productive at work, earn more, and spend more time in the labour force.

Substantial and consistent evidence from rich countries shows that healthier people have higher earnings, say Professor Martin McKee and colleagues. Other studies show that better health increases both the number of hours worked and the probability that an individual will be employed. In contrast, poor health increases the likelihood that someone will retire early.

Although some of these results may be subject to methodological problems, the overwhelming conclusion is that good health has benefits beyond the individual, say the authors.

But how does health affect the national economy?

The current economic wealth of rich countries owes much to previous health gains, they write. For example, about 30% of economic growth in the United Kingdom between 1790 and 1980 can be attributed to better health and dietary intake.

A study in 10 industrialised countries during the century to the mid-1990s also found that better health increased the rate of economic growth by about 30%.

More information is needed to track the contribution of health to economic development, they say. But it seems that better health, measured appropriately, may contribute substantially to economic growth in all countries.