Belgium among top 10 countries to be a mother

The 15th annual State of the World’s Mothers report, a ranking of the best and worst places in the world to be a mother, shows Belgium coming in at ninth place. Belgium is tied with Australia, the only country outside Europe in the top 10.

The ranking, published annually by the NGO Save the Children, compares the lives of mothers in 178 countries in terms of their access to health and education, and critical child indicators such as health and nutrition. According to the list, Somalia is the worst country in the world to be a mother, while Belgium ranks ninth best.

"The inability to meet basic needs is both cause and consequence of conflicts in countries such as the Central African Republic, Somalia and Sudan. It's the world’s poorest families, and especially the women and children, who are most affected by disasters, both natural and man-made,” said the organisation.

As in previous years, the last ten places in the 2014 list are occupied by African countries. The list is headed by Finland, followed by Norway, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Australia and Belgium. France comes in 20th place, and the United States in 31st place.