U.S. healthcare spending per capita is almost twice the average of other wealthy countries
The average life expectancy in Western Europe is 83 years, while in the US it's 77 years.
Trump's America doesn't like foreigners
Europe highlights gender rules and entry risks and Finland's advisory, updated Tuesday, advises applicants to put their gender at birth. "If the applicant's recorded gender differs from their birth sex, US authorities may deny entry."
Traditionally, the U.S. has enjoyed a health premium. In the colonial era, American men were on average two to three inches taller than Europeans, according to military records, a fact that fascinates historical demographers because height is correlated with longevity, cognitive development and work capacity.
Today, a premium is turning into a deficit. American men are shorter on average than Northern European men, and the gap is getting bigger. Six in 10 Americans suffer from at least one chronic condition and 4 in 10 suffer from two."
"America is a sick society,” says William Galston in the Wall Street Journal. "Literally.”
Healthcare spending per capita is substantially higher in the US compared to Europe, yet the US lags behind on metrics like life expectancy and infant mortality.
Survival in the wealthiest U.S. quartile appeared to be similar to that in the poorest quartile in northern and western Europe.Health expenditures per person in the U.S. were $12,555 in 2022, which was over $4,000 more than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($6,651) is about half of what the U.S. spends per person."
US personal savings are close to rock bottom
Personal Saving Rate - in 2024, the US was at 4.6%; 15.3% in the 20-country Euro Area, and 44.3% in China.
42% of Americans Don't Have an Emergency Fund
Two in five Americans (42%) don't have an emergency savings fund. Nearly as many (40%) couldn't cover a $1,000 emergency expense with cash or savings, though 60% said they'd had an unexpected expense pop up in the past year. The gender wealth gap is evident in our survey.
In 2024, Oxfam found that over 39 million workers in the US, or roughly 23% of the workforce, earn less than $17 per hour, with women and communities of colour being disproportionately impacted.
In 2025, the federal poverty level definition of low income for a single-person household is $15,650 annually. Each additional person in the household adds to the total. For example, the poverty guideline is $32,150 per year for a family of four.
In 2023, the official poverty rate in the US was 11.1%, with 36.8 million people living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau
"Total saving in the United States is exceptionally low by international standards. If the mercantilist promotion of saving abroad were the chief cause of low US saving and the US trade deficit, we would expect to see many other advanced economies having comparably low saving rates. Figure 1 shows that this is not the case."
Let's stop the trade deficit blame game Maurice Obstfeld (PIIE)
