The league table opposite presents the latest available overview of child well-being in 29 of the world’s most advanced economies. Five dimensions of children’s lives have been considered: material well-being, health and safety, education, behaviours and risks, and housing and environment. In total, 26 internationally comparable indicators have been included in the overview. The table updates and refines the first UNICEF overview of child wellbeing published in 2007.
The Netherlands retains its position as the clear leader. Four Nordic countries – Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – sit just below. Four southern European countries – Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain – are placed in the bottom half of the table. The bottom four places in the table are occupied by three of the poorest countries in the survey, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, and by one of the richest, the United States. Overall, there does not appear to be a strong relationship between per capita GDP and overall child well-being.
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