Finland's ranking dropped to 17 place in the Child Well-Being index published by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Funda (UNICEF) on Tuesday.
The ranking of Finland was fifth in the previous index published by UNICEF in 2020.
The report compared the situation of 43 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU) based on the children and adolescents’ mental well-being, physical health and skills.
The Netherlands has topped in the index followed by Denmark, France, Portugal and Ireland.
Chile has ended up at the bottom of the list followed by Türkiye, Mexico, Colombia and New Zealand.
Finland´s rank was among the three lowest countries considering the suicide rate among 15 to 19-year-olds.
The report compared the six markers of child well-being that were first analysed in Report Card 16 published in 2020: life satisfaction, adolescent suicide, child mortality, overweight, academic proficiency and social skills.
“Prior to the pandemic, children were already struggling on multiple fronts, and didn’t have access to adequate support – even in wealthy countries,” said UNICEF Innocenti Director, Bo Viktor Nylund.
“Now, in the face of rising economic uncertainty, countries need to prioritise children’s education, health and wellbeing to secure their lifetime prospects and happiness, as well as our societies’ economic security,” the Director added.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
