Recreating FT chart on health spending and life expectancy in OECD countries

FT_health_spending.R

library(tidyverse)
library(scales)
library(OECD)
library(grid)
library(gridExtra)

oecd <- c("AUS","AUT","BEL","CAN","CHL","CZE","DNK","EST","FIN","FRA",
          "DEU","GRC","HUN","ISL","IRL","ISR","ITA","JPN","KOR","LVA",
          "LUX","MEX","NLD","NZL","NOR","POL","PRT","SVK","SVN","ESP",
          "SWE","CHE","TUR","GBR","USA")

spending <- get_dataset("SHA", list("HFTOT.HCTOT.HPTOT.VRPPPR", oecd))
life <- get_dataset("HEALTH_STAT", list("EVIETOTA.EVIDUREV", oecd))

df <- inner_join(
  life %>% select("iso3c" = COU, obsTime, "life" = obsValue),
  spending %>% select("iso3c" = LOCATION, obsTime, "spending" = obsValue)
)

df_other    <- df %>% filter(!iso3c %in% c("USA", "JPN", "GBR"))
df_annotate <- df %>% filter(iso3c %in% c("USA", "JPN", "GBR"))

p <- ggplot(NULL, aes(x = spending, y = life, group = iso3c, color = iso3c)) +
  geom_path(data = df_other, color = "grey80", size = 0.5) +
  geom_path(data = df_annotate, size = 1) +
  geom_text(aes(label = iso3c), filter(df_annotate, obsTime == 2014),
            size = 4, vjust = -0.5) +
  geom_point(data = filter(df_annotate, obsTime %in% c(1970, 2014)), size = 2) +
  scale_color_manual(values = c("mediumblue", "olivedrab4", "violetred2")) +
  scale_y_continuous(expand = c(0.1, 0.1)) +
  theme(legend.position = "none") +
  labs(x = "\nHealth spending per capita ($US 2010 PPP constant)", 
       y = "Life expectancy\n",
       title = "Life expectancy has not risen in line with\nspending on healthcare",
       subtitle = "Each line represents an OECD country")

grid.arrange(p, p + scale_x_log10(), nrow = 1)