Finland 'world's best place to be a mother'

A new report by Save the Children has found that the exceptional care and advice given to new parents in Finland make it the world's best place to be a mother.

According to the charity's State of the World’s Mothers report, Scandinavian countries make up four of the five best places in the world in which to become a new parent, with Finland coming top.

High maternal and infant mortality mean that the Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks as the toughest place to be a mother. The UK comes 23rd on the list.

Save the Children International’s Chief Executive, Jasmine Whitbread, said: “By investing in mothers and children, nations are investing in their future prosperity.

"If women are educated, are represented politically, and have access to good quality maternal and child care, then they and their children are much more likely to survive and thrive – and so are the societies they live in.

"Huge progress has been made across the developing world, but much more can be done to save and improve millions of the poorest mothers and newborns’ lives.”