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CYPRUS and Spain both qualify as Mediterranean countries, although only Cyprus has the Mediterranean washing all its shores.
They both enjoy sunny climates and a relaxed lifestyle. Their traditional diet is similar: high on fish and home-grown fruit and vegetables.
So how come Spain has been voted the healthiest country in the world, moving up seven places on the influential Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, and Cyprus has fallen three places to No 21, behind Britain (19) and Ireland (20)?
The index classifies nations according to variables such as life expectancy, tobacco use and obesity. Environmental factors, such as access to clean water and sanitation, are also taken into account.
Bloomberg scores countries for their positive achievements, then subtracts for negatives. Spain has a grading of 92.75 (100 is perfect) with 3.81 subtracted for negative factors, heavy smoking in particular.
Cyprus scores 83.58 and had 4.61 subtracted for failings which also include heavy smoking, plus lower life expectancy, physical inactivity and problems caused by obesity.
These findings were born out by a survey conducted last year by an (admittedly Spanish) agency called the World Factbook. It found that people in Spain were likely to live three years longer than their Cypriot equivalents. They will have fewer children; 9.2 per thousand in Spain as against 11.3 per thousand in the Republic of Cyprus. Those children are more likely to survive infancy. In Cyprus, approximately 7.9 children per thousand die before they reach the age of one. In Spain, the figure is 3.3 children.
On the plus side, unemployment in Cyprus then stood at 11.8%. In Spain it was a whopping 17.1%. The top rate of tax was 10% higher in Spain but the Spanish spent 9.4% of their total GDP on health care as against 7.4% in Cyprus. Which may explain the difference in the healthy nation rankings.
But before you expats starting booking flights to Madrid, you should bear in mind that 21 is still a pretty good ranking. The United States, arguably the world’s richest country, is placed at No 35.
In any case, many health choices are personal. If you stick with the full-English breakfast, Sunday roast and a curry on Friday nights, and if – on top of all that – your idea of exercise is walking from your car to the bar to watch a football match, your chances of a long and healthy life will be no greater in Marbella than in Manchester. And no less in Paphos or Limassol.
In one respect, the Bloomberg survey was unfair to Cyprus, particularly for health care of expats. Bloomberg praised Spain’s public health system, but many expats find that access to it is limited. By contrast, access to the Cyprus system is relatively simple. Anyone who has paid regular social security contributions in another EU country for two full years prior to coming to Cyprus is entitled to medical cover for a limited period, and EU pensioners are entitled to free medical treatment. Brexit has put these arrangements in doubt, but the expectation is that they will survive.
Nevertheless, while there is nothing hugely wrong with the public health system here, a great many Cypriots, and nearly all expats, take out private health insurance. It is a wise precaution that will give you choice and flexibility and let you bypass the bureaucracy of the state system.
If you intend to retire in Cyprus you need to plan for the possibility of deteriorating health. Most Cypriot pensioners are looked after by their own families. Unless you are fortunate enough to have family members close by, you may need to pay for care and private nursing homes are expensive.
Planning is the key to a successful expat life and health care should be budgeted for as part of your wider financial planning.
My advice to expats is to take good, impartial advice and make your plans as early as possible. A good financial adviser will help you set a plan for getting and keeping your finances in shape. Woodbrook Group are experts in the field. We are not owned by any financial institution or life insurance company. This makes us different from the majority of financial advisory companies and means we can offer you unbiased and impartial advice tailored to your individual requirements.
