The Best and Worst Places to be a Mother
The eighth annual Mothers' Index helps document conditions for mothers and children in 140 countries - 41 developed nations and 99 in the developing world - and shows where mothers fare best and where they face the greatest hardships. All countries for which sufficient data were available are included in the Index. Below are the countries that ranked highest and lowest on the list.Top Ten | Bottom Ten | ||
Rank | Country | Rank | Country |
1 2 2 4 4 4 7 8 9 10 |
Sweden |
131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 |
Djibouti Burkina Faso Ethiopia Eritrea Angola Guinea-Bissau Chad Yemen Sierra Leone Niger |
Why should Save the Children be so concerned with mothers? Because 75 years
of field experience has taught us that the quality of children's lives depends
on the health, security and well-being of their mothers.
In short,
providing mothers with access to education, economic opportunities and maternal
and child health care, including family planning, gives mothers and their
children the best chance to survive and thrive.
For an explanation of the ranking system and to see a full listing, download the complete Mothers' Index.