UK trails in list of best nations for motherhood

In a list of 176 countries in the Mother’s Index, contained in Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers report, the UK is ranked at number 23.

That puts the UK behind countries such as Spain, Greece and Slovenia, with the social trend of women either having children as teenagers or waiting until they are old enough to need IVF treatment as one of the reasons for the country’s low ranking.

Finland, Sweden and Norway take the top three slots, while for the first time, countries in 
sub-Saharan Africa – where 10 per cent to 20 per cent of mothers are underweight owing to poor nutrition or underage pregnancy – take up each of the bottom ten places in the annual index.

Ireland has been ranked at number 20, while the US is at 30, Germany is at nine and France is at 16.

The report found the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be the world’s toughest place to be a mother.

The Mother’s Index looks at countries around the world that are succeeding and failing in saving the lives of mothers and new-born babies.

It assesses mothers’ well-being using indicators of maternal health, under-five mortality, levels of women’s education, income and political status.

Coming in at number 23, the UK has fewer women in Parliament and higher maternal and infant mortality rates than much of Europe, the charity said.

Women in the UK are at a higher risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth than women in Slovakia, Montenegro and Lithuania, according to the statistics.

The report says a reason for this is the age women are having babies, with teenage and IVF pregnancy rates resulting in the UK having a higher proportion of young and old mothers than much of Europe.

Another reason is poverty and inequality, as women with partners who are unemployed are six times more likely to die from maternal causes than those with partners in work.

The charity said one million babies die each year on the day they are born – or two every minute – making the first day by far the riskiest day of a person’s life in almost every country in the world.

A baby in the developing world is seven times as likely to die on its first day as a baby born in industrialised nations.

A newborn in Somalia – the most risky country in which to be born – is 40 times more likely to die on its first day than a child born in Luxembourg, which is the safest, according to the statistics.

Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children, said: “Overall the world has made unprecedented progress in reducing child and maternal deaths.

“But within this progress there are two big challenges: newborns and malnutrition. We can end child and maternal mortality in our generation – by using tried and tested interventions to stop mothers and babies being lost from what should be simple preventable causes.

“The G8 in June chaired by the Prime Minister has a critical opportunity to tackle hunger which accounts for a third of child deaths. He must make sure we seize this opportunity,” he said.

This year Afghanistan has moved off the bottom spot as the worst place internationally for women with children, but Carolyn Miles, President of Save the Children USA, said there were still big problems.

“Where mothers have health care, education and economic opportunity both they and their children can survive and thrive. But many are not so fortunate. Alarming numbers of mothers and children in developing countries are not getting the nutrition they need,” she said.