Which countries are most and least prepared to deal with an epidemic or pandemic like the Coronavirus?

Sophie IrelandStats GateJanuary 30, 2020March 5, 2020

Unsurprisingly, the United States is the most prepared country to deal with epidemic or pandemic like the mysterious Coronavirus, that’s according to the Global Health Security Index. The United Kingdom came second with 77.9, followed by the Netherlands with 75.6.

Other countries in Europe like Sweden (72.1), ranked 7th, Denmark (70.4), ranked 8th, and Finland (68.7), ranked 10th, were also in the top 10 most prepared countries to deal with epidemic or pandemic. Thailand (No. 6) and South Korea (No. 9) are the only Asian countries to make it to the top 10. China was further down the ranking with a score of 48.2, placing it 51st.

Within the QUAD countries, the United States was ranked 1st, followed by Australia at 4th, Japan at 21st, and India at 57th. The four QUAD countries represent over 1,850 million or 1.37 billion people. The QUAD members are known for their significant influence on international affairs; all are members of G20. As of 2018, these five nations have a combined nominal GDP of US$30 trillion and an estimated combined GDP (PPP) of around US$40 trillion.

The Global Health Security Index is the first comprehensive study of global health security capabilities in 195 countries. The index analyzed preparation levels by focusing on whether nations have the proper tools in place to deal with large scale outbreaks of disease, with scores measured on a scale of 0 to 100 where 100 is the highest level of preparedness.

Unfortunately, Equatorial Guinea (No. 195) is the least-prepared country when it came to containing diseases, followed by Somalia (No. 194), North Korea (No. 193), Sao Tome and Príncipe (No. 192), and Marshall Islands (No. 191). Of all continents, Africa scored lowest. So far at least, no country in Africa has confirmed a case of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus outbreak has not been classified as an epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), but the disease has already killed 100 people and infected more than 4,500 since being detected in China’s Wuhan at the end of December.

Countries most prepared to deal with an epidemic or pandemic like the Coronavirus

Rank	Country	Region	Population	Income Level	Score
1	United States	North America	100m+	High income	83.5
2	United Kingdom	Europe	50-100m	High income	77.9
3	Netherlands	Europe	10-50m	High income	75.6
4	Australia	Oceania	10-50m	High income	75.5
5	Canada	North America	10-50m	High income	75.3
6	Thailand	South East Asia	50-100m	Upper middle income	73.2
7	Sweden	Europe	1-10m	High income	72.1
8	Denmark	Europe	1-10m	High income	70.4
9	South Korea	East Asia	50-100m	High income	70.2
10	Finland	Europe	1-10m	High income	68.7
11	France	Europe	50-100m	High income	68.2
12	Slovenia	Europe	1-10m	High income	67.2
13	Switzerland	Europe	1-10m	High income	67
14	Germany	Europe	50-100m	High income	66
15	Spain	Europe	10-50m	High income	65.9
16	Norway	Europe	1-10m	High income	64.6
17	Latvia	Europe	1-10m	High income	62.9
18	Malaysia	South East Asia	10-50m	Upper middle income	62.2
19	Belgium	Europe	10-50m	High income	61
20	Portugal	Europe	10-50m	High income	60.3
21	Japan	East Asia	100m+	High income	59.8
22	Brazil	Latin America and the Caribbean	100m+	Upper middle income	59.7
23	Ireland	Europe	1-10m	High income	59
24	Singapore	South East Asia	1-10m	High income	58.7
25	Argentina	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	High income	58.6
26	Austria	Europe	1-10m	High income	58.5
27	Chile	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	High income	58.3
28	Mexico	Latin America and the Caribbean	100m+	Upper middle income	57.6
29	Estonia	Europe	1-10m	High income	57
30	Indonesia	South East Asia	100m+	Lower middle income	56.6
31	Italy	Europe	50-100m	High income	56.2
32	Poland	Europe	10-50m	High income	55.4
33	Lithuania	Europe	1-10m	High income	55
34	South Africa	Africa	50-100m	Upper middle income	54.8
35	Hungary	Europe	1-10m	High income	54
35	New Zealand	Oceania	1-10m	High income	54
37	Greece	Europe	10-50m	High income	53.8
38	Croatia	Europe	1-10m	High income	53.3
39	Albania	Europe	1-10m	Upper middle income	52.9
40	Turkey	West Asia	50-100m	Upper middle income	52.4
41	Serbia	Europe	1-10m	Upper middle income	52.3
42	Czech Republic	Europe	10-50m	High income	52
42	Georgia	West Asia	1-10m	Lower middle income	52
44	Armenia	West Asia	1-10m	Upper middle income	50.2
45	Ecuador	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	50.1
46	Mongolia	East Asia	1-10m	Lower middle income	49.5
47	Kyrgyz Republic	Central Asia	1-10m	Lower middle income	49.3
47	Saudi Arabia	West Asia	10-50m	High income	49.3
49	Peru	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	49.2
50	Vietnam	South East Asia	50-100m	Lower middle income	49.1
51	China	East Asia	100m+	Upper middle income	48.2
52	Slovakia	Europe	1-10m	High income	47.9
53	Philippines	South East Asia	100m+	Lower middle income	47.6
54	Israel	West Asia	1-10m	High income	47.3
55	Kenya	Africa	50-100m	Lower middle income	47.1
56	United Arab Emirates	West Asia	1-10m	High income	46.7
57	India	South Asia	100m+	Lower middle income	46.5
58	Iceland	Europe	<1m	High income	46.3
59	Kuwait	West Asia	1-10m	High income	46.1
60	Romania	Europe	10-50m	Upper middle income	45.8
61	Bulgaria	Europe	1-10m	Upper middle income	45.6
62	Costa Rica	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	Upper middle income	45.1
63	Russia	Europe	100m+	Upper middle income	44.3
63	Uganda	Africa	10-50m	Low income	44.3
65	Colombia	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	44.2
65	El Salvador	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	Lower middle income	44.2
67	Luxembourg	Europe	<1m	High income	43.8
68	Montenegro	Europe	<1m	Upper middle income	43.7
68	Morocco	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	43.7
68	Panama	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	High income	43.7
71	Liechtenstein	Europe	<1m	High income	43.5
72	Myanmar	South East Asia	50-100m	Lower middle income	43.4
73	Laos	South East Asia	1-10m	Lower middle income	43.1
73	Lebanon	West Asia	1-10m	Upper middle income	43.1
73	Nicaragua	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	Lower middle income	43.1
73	Oman	West Asia	1-10m	High income	43.1
77	Cyprus	West Asia	<1m	High income	43
78	Moldova	Europe	1-10m	Lower middle income	42.9
79	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	1-10m	Upper middle income	42.8
80	Jordan	West Asia	10-50m	Upper middle income	42.1
81	Uruguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	High income	41.3
82	Qatar	West Asia	1-10m	High income	41.2
83	Kazakhstan	Central Asia	10-50m	Upper middle income	40.7
84	Ethiopia	Africa	100m+	Low income	40.6
85	Bhutan	South Asia	<1m	Lower middle income	40.3
86	Madagascar	Africa	10-50m	Low income	40.1
87	Egypt	Africa	50-100m	Lower middle income	39.9
88	Bahrain	West Asia	1-10m	High income	39.4
89	Cambodia	South East Asia	10-50m	Lower middle income	39.2
90	North Macedonia	Europe	1-10m	Upper middle income	39.1
91	Dominican Republic	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	38.3
92	Sierra Leone	Africa	1-10m	Low income	38.2
92	Zimbabwe	Africa	10-50m	Low income	38.2
94	Ukraine	Europe	10-50m	Lower middle income	38
95	Senegal	Africa	10-50m	Low income	37.9
96	Nigeria	Africa	100m+	Lower middle income	37.8
97	Iran	South Asia	50-100m	Upper middle income	37.7
98	Malta	Europe	<1m	High income	37.3
99	Trinidad and Tobago	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	High income	36.6
100	Suriname	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	36.5
101	Tanzania	Africa	50-100m	Low income	36.4
102	Bolivia	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Lower middle income	35.8
103	Paraguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	Upper middle income	35.7
104	Namibia	Africa	1-10m	Upper middle income	35.6
105	Côte d’Ivoire	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	35.5
105	Ghana	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	35.5
105	Pakistan	South Asia	100m+	Lower middle income	35.5
108	Belarus	Europe	1-10m	Upper middle income	35.3
108	St Lucia	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	35.3
110	Cuba	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	35.2
111	Liberia	Africa	1-10m	Low income	35.1
111	Nepal	South Asia	10-50m	Low income	35.1
113	Bangladesh	South Asia	100m+	Lower middle income	35
114	Mauritius	Africa	1-10m	Upper middle income	34.9
115	Cameroon	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	34.4
116	Uzbekistan	Central Asia	10-50m	Lower middle income	34.3
117	Azerbaijan	West Asia	1-10m	Upper middle income	34.2
117	Gambia	Africa	1-10m	Low income	34.2
117	Rwanda	Africa	10-50m	Low income	34.2
120	Sri Lanka	South Asia	10-50m	Lower middle income	33.9
121	Maldives	South Asia	<1m	Upper middle income	33.8
122	Tunisia	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	33.7
123	St Vincent and The Grenadines	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	33
124	Micronesia	Oceania	<1m	Lower middle income	32.8
125	Guatemala	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	32.7
125	Guinea	Africa	10-50m	Low income	32.7
125	Monaco	Europe	<1m	High income	32.7
128	Brunei	South East Asia	<1m	High income	32.6
128	Togo	Africa	1-10m	Low income	32.5
130	Afghanistan	South Asia	10-50m	Low income	32.3
130	Tajikistan	Central Asia	1-10m	Low income	32.3
132	Niger	Africa	10-50m	Low income	32.2
133	Barbados	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	High income	31.9
133	Seychelles	Africa	<1m	High income	31.9
135	Belize	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	31.8
135	Turkmenistan	Central Asia	1-10m	Upper middle income	31.8
137	Guyana	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	31.7
138	Haiti	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Low income	31.5
139	Botswana	Africa	1-10m	Upper middle income	31.1
139	Eswatini (Swaziland)	Africa	1-10m	Lower middle income	31.1
139	San Marino	Europe	<1m	High income	31.1
142	Bahamas	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	High income	30.6
143	Andorra	Europe	<1m	High income	30.5
144	Lesotho	Africa	1-10m	Lower middle income	30.2
145	Burkina Faso	Africa	10-50m	Low income	30.1
146	Cabo Verde	Africa	<1m	Lower middle income	29.3
147	Antigua and Barbuda	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	High income	29
147	Jamaica	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	Upper middle income	29
147	Mali	Africa	10-50m	Low income	29
150	Benin	Africa	10-50m	Low income	28.8
150	Chad	Africa	10-50m	Low income	28.8
152	Zambia	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	28.7
153	Mozambique	Africa	10-50m	Low income	28.1
154	Malawi	Africa	10-50m	Low income	28
155	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	1-10m	Lower middle income	27.8
156	Honduras	Latin America and the Caribbean	1-10m	Lower middle income	27.6
157	Grenada	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	27.5
157	Mauritania	Africa	1-10m	Lower middle income	27.5
159	Central African Republic	Africa	1-10m	Low income	27.3
160	Comoros	Africa	<1m	Low income	27.2
161	Congo Democratic Republic	Africa	50-100m	Low income	26.5
162	Samoa	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	26.4
163	St Kitts and Nevis	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	High income	26.2
163	Sudan	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	26.2
165	Vanuatu	Oceania	<1m	Lower middle income	26.1
166	Timor Leste	South East Asia	1-10m	Lower middle income	26
167	Iraq	West Asia	10-50m	Upper middle income	25.8
168	Fiji	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	25.7
168	Libya	Africa	1-10m	Upper middle income	25.7
170	Angola	Africa	10-50m	Lower middle income	25.2
171	Tonga	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	25.1
172	Dominica	Latin America and the Caribbean	<1m	Upper middle income	24
173	Algeria	Africa	10-50m	Upper middle income	23.6
173	Congo Brazzaville	Africa	1-10m	Lower middle income	23.6
175	Djibouti	Africa	<1m	Lower middle income	23.2
176	Venezuela	Latin America and the Caribbean	10-50m	Upper middle income	23
177	Burundi	Africa	10-50m	Low income	22.8
178	Eritrea	Africa	1-10m	Low income	22.4
179	Palau	Oceania	<1m	High income	21.9
180	South Sudan	Africa	10-50m	Low income	21.7
181	Tuvalu	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	21.6
182	Nauru	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	20.8
183	Solomon Islands	Oceania	<1m	Lower middle income	20.7
184	Niue	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	20.5
185	Cook Islands	Oceania	<1m	High income	20.4
186	Gabon	Africa	1-10m	Upper middle income	20
186	Guinea Bissau	Africa	1-10m	Low income	20
188	Syria	West Asia	10-50m	Low income	19.9
189	Kiribati	Oceania	<1m	Lower middle income	19.2
190	Yemen	West Asia	10-50m	Low income	18.5
191	Marshall Islands	Oceania	<1m	Upper middle income	18.2
192	Sao Tome and Príncipe	Africa	<1m	Lower middle income	17.7
193	North Korea	East Asia	10-50m	Low income	17.5
194	Somalia	Africa	10-50m	Low income	16.6
195	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	1-10m	Upper middle income	16.2

These countries are most prepared to deal with an epidemic like the Coronavirus

United States
United Kingdom
Netherlands
Australia
Canada
Thailand
Sweden
Denmark
South Korea
Finland

These countries are least prepared to deal with an epidemic like the Coronavirus

Equatorial Guinea
Somalia
North Korea
Sao Tome and Príncipe
Marshall Islands
Yemen
Kiribati
Syria
Guinea Bissau
Gabon

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CEOWORLD magazine - Latest - Stats Gate - Which countries are most and least prepared to deal with an epidemic or pandemic like the Coronavirus?

Sophie Ireland

Sophie is currently serving as a Senior Economist at CEOWORLD magazine's Global Unit. She started her career as a Young Professional at CEOWORLD magazine in 2010 and has since worked as an economist in three different regions, namely Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, East Asia, and the Pacific. Her research interests primarily revolve around the topics of economic growth, labor policy, migration, inequality, and demographics. In her current role, she is responsible for monitoring macroeconomic conditions and working on subjects related to macroeconomics, fiscal policy, international trade, and finance. Prior to this, she worked with multiple local and global financial institutions, gaining extensive experience in the fields of economic research and financial analysis.

Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or connect on LinkedIn. Email her at sophie@ceoworld.biz.

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Countries most prepared to deal with an epidemic or pandemic like the Coronavirus

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