Mothers in Norway and Australia are in the best countries to bring up their children, while mothers in Afghanistan and many African nations fare worst, according to an annual Mothers’ Index.
The 11th annual Save The Children index, which ranks the best and worst places to be a mother, looks at the well-being of women and children in 160 states, including access to education, economic opportunities and healthcare.
The list last year was headed by Sweden, but this year Norway came first, followed by Australia, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark, with New Zealand, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany rounding out the top 10.
In the bottom 10, Afghanistan ranked last, preceded by Niger, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Sudan, Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea. Last year, Niger was last.
Taiwan was not included in the study.
This year’s list of 43 developed nations and 117 in the developing world highlighted the fact that nearly 350,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth every year and nearly 9 million children die before their fifth birthday.
“Conditions for mothers and their children in the bottom 10 countries are grim. On average, 1 in 23 mothers will die from pregnancy-related causes. One child in 6 dies before his or her fifth birthday, and 1 child in 3 suffers from malnutrition,” a statement from Save The Children said.
The US came 28th in the list, down from 27 last year, largely as its rate for maternal mortality — 1 in 4,800 — is one of the highest in the developed world. The US also offers less maternity leave than other wealthy nations.
“While the situation in the United States needs to improve, mothers in the developing world are facing far greater risks to their own health and that of their children,” said Mary Beth Powers, vice-chair of Save The Children’s Every One campaign.
“The shortage of skilled birth attendants and challenges in accessing birth control means that women in countries at the bottom of the list face the most pregnancies and the most risky birth situations, resulting in newborn and maternal deaths,” she said.
Save The Children said:
• Fewer than 15 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel in Afghanistan and Chad, with only 6 percent of births in Ethiopia attended, compared with skilled staff present at almost every birth in Norway.
• In Niger one woman in every seven dies in childbirth. The risk is one in eight in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, compared with less than one in 47,600 in Ireland.
• In Angola, Chad, the DRC and Somalia, one child in five does not reach his or her fifth birthday. In Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg and Sweden only one child in 333 dies before age five.
• A typical female in Afghanistan, Angola, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea and Guinea-Bissau receives less than five years of formal education. In Australia and New Zealand, the average woman stays in school for more than 20 years.
• In Afghanistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen, women earn US$0.25 or less for every dollar men earn. In Mongolia, women earn US$0.87 for every dollar men earn and in Mozambique they earn US$0.90.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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