In Niger, The Worst Mother's Day

The NGO Save the Children released its tenth annual State of the World’s Mothers report to mark Mother’s Day. The report includes a Mother’s Index, a ratings list of 158 countries. Sweden is the best place to be a mother, according to the index. Niger is the worst, and several other sub-Saharan African countries rank similarly low. From the report:

• The gap in availability of maternal and child health services is especially dramatic when comparing Sweden and Niger. Skilled health personnel are present at virtually every birth in Sweden, while only 33 percent of births are attended in Niger. A typical Swedish woman has almost 17 years of formal education and will live to be 83 years old, 65 percent are using some modern method of contraception, and only one in 185 will lose a child before his or her fifth birthday. At the opposite end of the spectrum, in Niger, a typical woman has little more than 3 years of education and will live to be 56. Only 5 percent of women are using modern contraception, and 1 child in6 dies before his or her fifth birthday. At this rate, every mother in Niger is likely to suffer the loss of a child.

The United States ranked 27th.