Top 15 places to be a mom

happy, mother, son, sibling rivalry — istockphoto

When it comes to good health, moms have it better in some countries than in others.

Where's the absolute worst place to be a mother? If you guessed Afghanistan, you're right. With one in five kids in that war-torn nation dying before age five, just about every Afghan mom is likely to suffer the loss of a child.

But in which nations do moms enjoy the greatest well-being? Save the Children recently issued a report ranking 164 countries according to the well-being of mothers and children. Keep clicking to find out the top 15 finishers - and keep your eyes peeled for the good ole USA...

14. Switzerland (tie)

Switzerland tied for 15th place. Its women enjoy the world's third-highest female life expectancy (84 years). Swiss kids have one of the lowest rates of under-five death (four deaths per 1,000 births).

Overall index score: 0.27

14. Portugal (tie)

Portuguese children enjoy one of the lowest under-five death rates in the world, at four deaths per 1,000 births. The lifetime risk of maternal death is also one of the world's lowest (1 in 9,800).

Overall index score: 0.27

13. United Kingdom

The UK ties with Norway for access to birth control and ranks ninth in formal female schooling (17 years). It offers one of the most generous maternity leave policies in the world.

Overall index score: 0.33

12. Spain

Spain is one of the few countries in which nearly all children make it from preschool all the way to high school. It has the third-highest female life expectancy (84 years) and a low childhood death rate.

Overall index score: 0.34

11. Germany

The mortality rates among mothers and children are among the world's lowest. Germany also claims one of the highest rates of contraceptive use (66% of women) and one of the highest female life expectancies (83 years).

Overall index score: 0.35

10. France

Except for women living in Japan, women live longer, on average, than any other country in the world (85 years). France is one of the few countries in which nearly all children make it from preschool all the way to high school.

Overall index score: 0.37

9. Netherlands

The death rate among Dutch chidren is among the world's lowest, at four deaths for every 1,000 live births. The Netherlands ranks 9th in the world in terms of years of formal female schooling (17).

Overall index score: 0.46

8. Belgium

Of all developed countries, Belgium ranks fifth in terms of female political representation (39% of parliamentary seats). It ranks eighth in female life expectancy (84 years).

Overall index score: 0.49

7. Finland

Finland's child mortality rate, at three deaths per 1,000 live births, is the world's second-lowest. Finnish women have an average life expectancy of 84 years.

Overall index score: 0.73

6. New Zealand

Women in New Zealand enjoy of the highest female life expectancies in the world (83 years). Seventy-two percent of women in the country have access to modern birth control, meaning it comes in #7 in that category.

Overall index score: 0.74

5. Denmark

Working mothers in Denmark enjoy the world's most generous maternity leave policy (one year at 100% of wages). Danish women average 18 years of education and wield lots of political power. At fourth deaths per 1,000 births, Denmark's child mortality rate is among the world's lowest.

Overall index score: 0.79

4. Sweden

Sweden is one of the few countries in which nearly all children make it from preschool all the way to high school. The childhood mortality rate is the world's second-lowest. And working mothers get 480 days of maternity leave paid at 80 percent - the second most generous policy in the world.

Overall index score: 0.80

2. Iceland (tie)

In Iceland, the childhood mortality rate is the second-lowest in the world. Icelandic women average 20 years of formal education and have the third-highest life expectancy in the world (84 years).

Overall index score: 0.87

2. Australia (tie)

Women in Australia typically stay in school for almost 21 years - longer than the women from any other country on the list. Australia also has the third-greatest female life expectancy, and one of the world's most generous maternity leave policies.

Overall index score: 0.87

1. Norway

Congrats to Norway, which finished #1 in the ranking. It does well on just about all the indicators measured for the rankings. Norwegian women earn good incomes, and 82 percent have access to modern contraceptives. Norway has the second-to-lowest mortality rate for young children.

Overall index score: 1.03

31. United States

Been looking for the U.S.? With relatively high child and maternal death rates and one of the world's least generous maternity leave policies, the U.S. finished a disappointing 31st in the ranking.

Overall index score: -0.20