RANKINGS

Norway Best for Moms, Afghanistan Worst

U.S. places 31st because of high maternal mortality.

Some statistics in advance of Mother's Day: The 12th annual Mothers Index by Save the Children says Norway is the best country in which to be a mom, with its low maternal and child mortality rates, high women's life expectancy, and lengthy education. Australia and Iceland placed near Norway, while the United States dragged behind at 31st. Afghanistan, with a women's life expectancy of 45 years and one out of every 11 women dying in childbirth, came in last. One of every five children in Afghanistan doesn't live to age 5. The survey noted that the United States came in 31st mostly because it has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any industrialized nation: 1 in 2,100, meaning a woman in the U.S. is seven times more likely than one in Italy or Ireland to die from pregnancy-related causes.