Congo Is The Hardest Place To Be a Mother

Of 176 countries ranked in the 14th annual World Mothrs Report by Save the Children Foundation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was found to be the toughest place to be an expecting mother.

According to the BBC News, war, poverty and low quality of life have left DR Congo pregnant women struggling with malnourishment and lack of support during the most vulnerable time in their lives. 

The 10 countries ranked at the bottom of the list were also part of sub-Saharan Africa, including Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Gambia, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad and Ivory Coast. On average, one woman in 30 in these countries, die from pregnancy related causes, and one in seven children die before their fifth birthday. Lack of proper nutrition has left 10 to 20 percent of mothers in these countries underweight during pregnancy, as found by Save the Children. 

From the World Mothers Report, Save The Children concluded that helping newborns survive their first days in the world may significantly lower infant mortality rates. The rankings were based on mother's and children's health, educational, economic and political status, with Finland being named the best place to be a mother.

While many may think of the U.S. as one of the best places to be a mother, the charity found that surprisingly, the U.S. is the worst place to be a pregnant women in the industrialized world, holding the highest death rate for newborns with 11,300 babies dying each year on their first day of life.

In the industrialized world and overall, Finland was found to be the best place to be a mother, with the risk of death during pregnancy one in 12,200, and Finnish children receiving an average of 17 years of formal education.

Among the top 10 were Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands, while the U.S. lagged behind at number 30. Save the Children explained that this is in part due to the U.S.'s large population and high rate of babies being born prematurely, as the U.S. has one of the highest preterm birth rates in the world at an alarming rate of one in eight.

Although India's economic growth has been impressive over the years, the report said that "the benefits have been shared unequally."

Over 300,000 babies die in India each year within 24 hours of being born, accounting for a whopping 29 percent of all newborn deaths worldwide. India also has more maternal deaths than any other country, with 56,000 each year.

The report found that South Asia is the region where mothers and babies die in greater numbers than in any other around the world, with an estimated 423,000 babies dying on their first day every year.