ABSTRACT
Traditionally, the state of a nation’s overall health may be described through the use of both statistical and sociological data. This is equally the case in regard to Russia, where the picture of overall health is much worse than in other European countries. For example, in 2005, according to data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, life expectancy for men in the Russian Federation was 59 years, while in countries with a very similar standard of economic development it was much higher: in Bulgaria it had reached 69, in Estonia 67.3 years and in Poland 70.3 years. When Russia is compared with Western European countries, a still wider gap can be observed. Thus, in the UK, the corresponding indicator for 2005 was 76.9 years; in Germany, 76.2 years; in Iceland, 79.2; and in Spain, 77.4 years (UNECE).
