A sick America can’t compete with China

A memorial for opioid deaths in Binghamton, New York. (Image: Getty)

Fri, 03 Mar 2023

Adrian WooldridgeIf health means wealth, as the adage has it, then America’s economic future looks grim. Traditionally, the US has enjoyed a health premium. In the colonial era, American men were on average up to 7cm 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...

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