The best and worst countries for children 10/18/2012 New index reveals large differences for children between wealthy and poor countries.

Children born in Iceland, Sweden, Japan and Austria will have a long life and enjoy good health and education, but for those born in Haiti, 165 in every 1,000 will not reach the age of five, 18 percent will suffer from malnutrition and a majority will have limited access to education and health.

Save the Children, an international organization that advocates for children’s’ rights, on Sept. 18 released the Spanish-language report, “El mapa de la supervivencia infantil 2012,” or “The map of child survival 2012,” which ranks the best and worst countries to be born in based on indicators like education, infant mortality rate, mothers’ wellbeing, percentage of underweight children, and access to drinking water.

In 47th place, Costa Rica is the highest-ranked of the 27 Latin American or Caribbean countries — considered to be developing nations — included in the list of 171 countries.

The report maintains that one of the leading obstacles to childhood development is malnutrition, compared with the progress made in the reduction of infant mortality rates and access to education.

“The data on nutrition is alarming,” Save the Children observed. “Between the first and second halves of the decade starting in 2000, the number of malnourished children in developing countries dropped 13 percent, chronic malnutrition decreased only 10 percent, and acute malnutrition not only didn’t drop, it gained 1.2 percent.”
For Save the Children, the so-called “triple f” crisis (financial, fuel, and food prices) has an extensive impact on children’s nutrition. —Latinamerica Press.

LATING AMERICA/THE CARIBBEAN The best and worst countries for children Country Ranking Infant mortality rate in children under 5 (x 1,000 births) Costa Rica 47 10 Chile 49 9 Brazil 51 19 Argentina 52 14 Uruguay 52 11 Cuba 56 6 Bahamas 58 16 Barbados 60 20 Mexico 62 17 Belize 68 17 Colombia 72 19 Jamaica 73 24 Trinidad & Tobago 75 27 Panama 76 20 Ecuador 77 20 Peru 80 19 Paraguay 87 25 El Salvador 90 16 Suriname 93 31 Dominican Republic 95 27 Guyana 96 30 Honduras 96 24 Bolivia 98 54 Nicaragua 103 27 Guatemala 107 32 Haiti 150 165 Source: Save the Children

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