Save the Children State of the World's Mothers report

2014 SOWM Report: Key Findings

• More than 60 million women and children are in need of humanitarian assistance this year.
• Violence and conflict have uprooted more families than at any time on record.
• Since the Mothers’ Index was launched in 2000, the majority of the bottom 10 countries have been in the midst of, or emerging from, a recent humanitarian emergency.
• Civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has led to horrific abuses against women and children, and claimed more than 5.4 million lives. But less than 10 percent of these deaths have occurred in combat. Most deaths have been due to preventable or treatable causes such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, newborn causes and malnutrition.
• Syria's civil war has had a devastating impact on mothers and children. At least 1.3 million children and 650,000 women have fled the conflict and become refugees in neighboring countries, while over 9 million people inside Syria are in need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
• The Philippines’ resiliency is being tested by more frequent and increasingly severe emergencies. Typhoon Haiyan on November 8, 2013 was one of the most destructive typhoons to ever hit land. It killed more than 6,000 people, devastated more than 2,000 hospitals and health clinics and destroyed countless health records and computer systems.
• In the United States, despite the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and other recent disasters, many gaps remain in emergency planning and preparedness. While the conditions facing mothers and children in the U.S. are very different from those in developing or middle-income countries, there are common challenges, including the resilience of health care and other essential services, and the extent to which humanitarian response reaches those mothers and children in greatest need.

  2013 SOWM Report: Key Findings

• steroid injections for women in preterm labor ;
• resuscitation devices ;
• chlorhexidine cord cleansing ; and
• injectable antibiotics.

  2012 SOWM Report: Key Findings

• Many children in many countries are not getting adequate nutrition during their first 1000 days of life.
• The malnutrition of children is widespread and limits the future success of both children and their countries.
• Malnutrition cannot be solved by economic growth alone.
• Health workers save millions of children.
• The United States has the least favorable environment for breastfeeding mothers.
• The top 10 countries in the 2012 SOWM Report are: Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands and UK.
• The bottom 10 countries in the 2012 SOWM Report are: Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Niger.

  Vital Statistics

• More than 2.6 million child deaths each year are caused by malnutrition.
• Stunted children make up approximately 27% of all children globally.
• Breastfed children in developing countries are a minimum of 6 times more likely to survive in the early months of life than children who are not breastfed.
• Stunting rates at 12 months could be cut by around 20% if all children in the developing world were to receive adequate nutrition and feeding of solid foods with breastfeeding.
• If breastfeeding were practiced optimally, it could prevent approximately 1 million deaths each year. This is because breastfeeding is the single most effective nutrition intervention for saving lives.
• On average, adults who were malnourished as children can earn an estimated 20% less than those who weren't malnourished as children.
• Due to the effects of malnutrition in developing countries, losses in GDP can add up to 2-3% annually.
• Malnutrition is estimated to cost $20–$30 billion per year globally.
• Thirty counties have stunting rates of 40% or more.

  Types of Malnutrition

• 27% of all children globally are stunted.

• 10% of all children globally are wasted.

• More than 100 million children are underweight worldwide.
• 19% of child deaths are associated with being underweight.

• 10% of all children's deaths are associated with micronutrient deficiencies.

  Nutrition in the First 1000 Days

• More than 2.6 million children and 100,000 mothers die every year as a result of under nutrition.
• Poor nutrition can weaken immune systems which can make both children and adults more likely to die of diarrhea or pneumonia. It can also impair the effectiveness of life saving medications.
• During the critical 1000-day window, good nutrition is crucial to develop a child's cognitive capacity and his or her physical growth.
• 1 in 4 of the world's children are chronically malnourished.

  Children's Wellbeing of the Mother's Index

• Every child in Iceland enjoys both good education and good health.
• In Somalia, children face the highest risk of death in the world. On average, more than one in six children will die before the age of 5.
• Nearly 1/3 of Somali children are malnourished.
• 70% of children in Somalia lack access to safe water.
• Less than 1 in 3 Somali children are enrolled in school and boys outnumber girls almost 2 to 1.

  "Lifesaving Six"

• Globally, more than 2 million children's lives could be saved each year if the "Lifesaving Six" could be implemented.
• Malnutrition rates usually peak during the time of complementary feeding.

• Approximately 190 million preschool-age children don't get enough vitamin A.
• Approximately 19 million of pregnant women don't get enough vitamin A.
• Vitamin A deficiencies are a contributing factor each year in 1.3 million deaths due to diarrhea and almost 118,000 deaths from measles.
• Vitamin A deficiencies can lead to partial and total blindness.
• Vitamin A costs 2 cents a dose and could reduce about 2% of child deaths yearly if children were given two doses a year.

• Zinc costs 2 cents a tablet and a full life-saving course of zinc treatment would cost less than 30 cents.
• It is estimated that 4% of child deaths could be prevented if diarrhea could be treated with zinc.

• Washing hands with soap could prevent diarrheal disease and pneumonia, which combined are responsible for 2.9 million child deaths every year.
• It is estimated that 3% of child deaths could be prevented if children had access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation facilities, and good hygiene.

• Breastfeeding is the single most effective nutrition intervention for saving the lives of children. It could prevent close to 1 million deaths each year.
• In developing countries, children who are breastfed are at least six times more likely to survive the early months of life that children who are not breastfed.
• It is estimated that in the United States alone, low rates of breastfeeding add $13 billion to medical costs yearly.

  2012 Mothers' Index

• In Norway, a skilled health professional is present at virtually every birth.
• Typically, a girl in Norway can expect to receive 18 years of formal education and live to be 83 years of age on average.
• 82% of Norwegian women use some method of birth control or other form of contraception.
• In Norway, only 1 in 175 families will lose a child before his or her fifth birthday.

• In Niger only a third of births are attended by some sort of health personnel.
• Typically, a girl in Niger can expect to receive only 4 years of education and live to be 56 years of age on average.
• Only 5% of women in Niger use some method of birth control or other form of contraception.
• In Niger, approximately 1 in 7 children die before his or her fifth birthday. According to these statistics, every mother is likely to lose a child.

  2011 Mothers' Index

• In Norway, a skilled health professional is present at virtually every birth compared to Afghanistan where only 14% of births are attended.
• Typically, a girl in Norway can expect to receive 18 years of formal education and live to be 83 years of age on average.
• 82% of Norwegian women use some method of birth control or other form of contraception.
• In Norway, only 1 in 175 families will lose a child before his or her fifth birthday.

• In Afghanistan, a woman generally has less than five years of education and will probably not live to be 45 years old.
• Less than 16% of Afghan women use some method of birth control or other form of contraception.
• In Afghanistan, approximately 1 in 5 children die before his or her fifth birthday. According to these statistics, every mother in Afghanistan is likely to lose a child.

  2010 SOWM Report: Key Findings

• A large number of countries are not able to provide basic health care that could save mothers' and children's lives.
• Female health workers play a critical role in saving the lives of women, newborns, and young children.
• Small investments in female health workers can have a measurable impact on survival rates in more isolated rural communities.
• The most effective health care can begin at home.
• Countries with more front-line female health workers have seen considerable declines in maternal, newborn, and child mortality.

  2010 Mothers' Index

• In Norway, a skilled health professional is present at virtually every birth compared to Afghanistan where only 14% of births are attended.
• Typically, a girl in Norway can expect to receive 18 years of formal education and live to be 83 years of age on average.
• 82% of Norwegian women use some method of birth control or other form of contraception.
• In Norway, only 1 in 132 families will lose a child before his or her fifth birthday.

• In Afghanistan, a woman generally has a little more than four years of education and will probably live to be around 44 years old.
• Less than 16% of Afghan women use some method of birth control or other form of contraception.
• In Afghanistan, approximately 1 in 4 children die before his or her fifth birthday. According to these statistics, every mother in Afghanistan is likely to lose a child.

  Press coverage

Activism

2014 rankings

Additional maps (statistics pertaining to females)