If you were a mother in Niger, the risk of your child dying before he or she reached age 5 would be one in seven. If you lived in Norway, that risk would be one in 333.

The thirteenth annual State of the World’s Mothers report, published by Save the Children, was released today.

One of the highlights of this report is the index ranking the best and worst places to be a mother. 165 countries were surveyed, with a focus on key factors, including mother’s health, educational attainment and economic status, as well as critical child indicators such as health and nutrition.

Nutrition is one of the chief factors in determining the well being of mothers and their children. Worldwide, malnutrition claims 2.6 million young lives annually.

As you might expect, undeveloped, sub-Saharan African countries made up eight of the bottom ten on the list, and developed nations, including all three Scandinavian countries, comprised the top ten. Norway shined the most brightly.

2012 Mothers’ Index Rankings

Top 10 – Best places to be a mother
RANK COUNTRY
1 Norway
2 Iceland
3 Sweden
4 New Zealand
5 Denmark
6 Finland
7 Australia
8 Belgium
9 Ireland
10 Netherlands/United Kingdom

Bottom 10 – Worst places to be a mother
RANK COUNTRY

156 DR Congo
156 South Sudan
156 Sudan
159 Chad
160 Eritrea
161 Mali
162 Guinea-Bissau
163 Yemen
164 Afghanistan
165 Niger

South Africa ranked 33 in the category of “less developed countries”.

Via Momformation