Being a mom is a joyful time for every woman in life, especially when you are living in one of these mom-friendly countries.
Moms in Norway, Australia and Iceland live in the best places in the world, according to the latest State of the World's Mothers report published by Save the Children, a global independent humanitarian organization.
The report surveyed the well-being of mothers and children in 164 countries, and ranked the best and worst places to be a mother by measuring a country's performance on a range of indicators related to health, nutrition, educational, economic and political status.
Eight European countries, together with Australia and New Zealand, take the top ten spots while sub-Saharan African countries occupy the lowest tier. The United States is ranked 31st, and China 61st.
In Norway, the most mom-friendly country, women receive 18 years of formal education and have a life expectancy of 83 years. Basically, every birth is attended by skilled health personnel, and only one in 175 loses a child before his or her 5th birthday.
Following are the top ten best countries to be a mother as compiled by Save the Children
Rank |
Country |
Life Expectancy |
Expected Years of Education |
Lifetime Risk of Maternal Death (1 in number stated) |
Maternity Leave Length |
1 |
Norway |
83 |
18 |
7,600 |
46-56 weeks |
2 |
Australia |
84 |
21 |
7,400 |
52 weeks |
2 |
Iceland |
84 |
20 |
9,400 |
13 weeks |
4 |
Sweden |
83 |
16 |
11,400 |
69 weeks |
5 |
Denmark |
81 |
18 |
10,900 |
52 weeks |
6 |
New Zealand |
83 |
20 |
3,800 |
14 weeks |
7 |
Finland |
83 |
18 |
7,600 |
15 weeks |
8 |
Belgium |
83 |
16 |
10,900 |
15 weeks |
9 |
Netherlands |
82 |
17 |
7,100 |
16 weeks |
10 |
France |
85 |
16 |
6,600 |
16 weeks |
Also see Top 10 worst places to be mom