Denmark has been ranked as the fourth best country in the world when it comes to being a mother, according to the Save the Children’s 2015 Mothers’ Index Ranking (here in English).
Denmark jumped two spots from its sixth place ranking last year thanks to improvements in under-5 mortality rates, maternal deaths and an increase in its gross national income per capita.
Women in Denmark face a 1 in 12,000 lifetime risk of maternal death, up considerably from 4,500 last year. Furthermore, the mortality rate of children under the age of five also dropped from 3.7 per 1,000 births to 3.5 per 1,000 births.
Meanwhile, gross national income per capita rose from 391,273 kroner to 410,089 kroner compared to the year before.
READ MORE: Denmark one of the best nations in the world for mothers
Nordics dominate
Other trends included a drop in the average number years spent in formal education from 18.7 to 16.9, while the participation of women in national government (percentage of seats held by women) decreased from 39.1 to 38.9.
The Nordic countries led the way in the rankings making up the top five with Norway topping the list, followed by Finland and Iceland, Denmark and Sweden.
Other notables included Germany (8), Australia (9), Canada (20), UK (24), USA (33), Russia (56), China (61), South Africa (72), Brazil (77) and India (140).
In terms of regions, Sub Saharan Africa fared the poorest, with an average ranking of 151st.
