The Netherlands ranks 4th place for best country to have a childhood

The Netherlands has made it to the top five countries for children to live and grow up in.

According to Save the Children's End of Childhood 2017 index, the Netherlands ties with Sweden as the fourth best place to be a child.

About the study

The study looked at eight different areas to determine each country’s ranking. These included under-5 mortality, malnutrition that stunts growth, out-of-school children, child labour, early marriage, adolescent births, displacement by conflict and child homicide.

It concluded that the Netherlands was one of 37 countries worldwide where very few children are at risk of missing out on a proper childhood.

The Netherlands ranked above the United Kingdom (22nd) and the United States (36th), whilst Norway and Slovenia tied for the top spot. 

The Netherlands score

The study reveals that the Netherlands shows no moderate or severe risks to children when studying their mortality rates, out-of-school rates, adolescents currently in a union or child homicide rates. 

Less fortunate children

The point of the report was to highlight the 700 million children worldwide who Save The Children claim have had their childhood taken away from them too soon.

A total of 263 million children are currently out of school, of which 168 million children are involved in child labour.

The report also highlighted 17 million girls giving teenage giving birth annually, "forcing them to assume adult responsibilities and putting their health, education and economic prospects at risk," the report claims.

The bottom 20 countries were all in Africa with West African country Niger ranking as the least favourable country to be a child.

Top 10 countries to have a childhood

The top 10 best countries to raise a child include:
1. Norway, Slovenia (tie)
3. Finland
4. The Netherlands, Sweden (tie)
6. Portugal
7. Ireland
8. Iceland, Italy (tie)
10. Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, South Korea (tie)

The top 10 worst countries to have a childhood

The top 10 worst countries to raise a child include:
1. Niger
2. Angola
3. Mali
4. The Central African Republic
5. Somalia
6. Chad
7. South Sudan
8. Burkina Faso
9. Sierra Leone, Guinea (tie)