Kazakhstan ranks 30th in Save the Children report on girls

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Kazakhstan surpassed the U.S. in a new report of the best and worst countries in which to be a girl compiled by Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights in developing countries.

Out of 144 countries mentioned in the report, Kazakhstan is ranked 30th, two spots higher that the United States. Based on the report, Kazakhstan outperformed the U.S., Japan and other big economies thanks to high proportion of women MPs.

According to the ranking, Sweden is the best country for girls to live in. Finishing at the bottom of rankings is Niger where 76% of women are married before age 18.

The top 10 countries of the ranking are all EU members, including Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Portugal, Switzerland and Italy.

Kazakhstan's closest neighbors Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are placed 38th, 57th and 59th respectively.

It should be noted that the rankings are based on five key factors - maternal mortality, rates of early marriage, women in government, adolescent fertility and lower-secondary school completion that all contribute to the overall index score.

Founded in the UK in 1919, Save the Children strives to improve the lives of children around the world through better education, healthcare and economic opportunities.

Hollywood actresses Julianne Moore, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Connelly as well as football star Cristiano Ronaldo are the ambassadors of the organization.

By Tatyana Kudrenok