The U.S. doesn’t even make the list, and it’s not because of a lack of lollipops.
According to the newest report from Save the Children, a nongovernmental organization devoted to promoting children’s welfare, Japan is the best place to be a kid. Spain follows in second place, while Germany comes in third. Italy and France round out the top 5, while Canada places respectably at sixth place. Guess those Nordic countries can’t keep winning all the awards, eh?
Save the Children releases a study they call the Child Development Index every few years. The index tallies the best countries for children based on three factors that impact a large part of kids’ growth: health, education and nutrition. The nongovernmental organization ranks countries based on the chances of a child dying before his or her fifth birthday, of not enrolling in school and of being underweight — the lower the chance of one of those measures occurring, the lower the nation’s composite index score is. The most child-friendly nations notch the lowest scores.
Japan’s score of 0.35 proves its advanced state of childhood education and medicine. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Somalia is the worst place to be a child, with a score of 54.50.
In case you’re wondering where the best places to be a kid are, here are the top 10 countries:
- Japan
- Spain
- Germany
- Italy
- France
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Norway
- U.K.
- Netherlands