Report on World's Mothers

by Kate Stahl 0

Think America is the best place in the world to be a mom? Think again. According to the 2012 State of the World’s Mothers Report from Save the Children, America actually only ranks 25th, up six spots from last year. But shockingly, "When it comes to the number of children enrolled in preschools or the political status of women, the United States also places in the bottom 10 countries of the developed world," says Carolyn Miles, Save the Children’s president and CEO.

Of the 165 countries surveyed, the top three spots went to Norway, Iceland, and Sweden, all of which scored high for mother and child health, educational attainment, economic status, and the percentage of women in government roles. The world's worst place to raise children is Niger (eight of the bottom 10 are sub-Saharan African countries). Check out some crazy stats comparing the best and the worst below, and then take our quiz to test your knowledge about how mothers fare across the globe.

• Almost 100 percent of births are attended by skilled health personnel in Norway compared to one-third in Niger.
• The risk of maternal death in Norway is one in 7,600; in Niger, it's one in 16.
• A girl will receive on average 18 years of formal education in Norway and a mere four years in Niger.

Source: Flickr User Explirer and Flickr User babasteve