Sweden

Sweden, a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe, is the best country in the world for mothers, according to the 2008 Mothers' Index, which compares the well-being of mothers and children in 146 countries, compiled by Save the Children, a U.S.-based independent global humanitarian organization. Seventy-two percent of Swedish women use some modern method of contraception. The average age for a first-time mother is 29, and skilled health personnel are present at virtually every birth. Only one mother in 185 will lose a child before his or her fifth birthday. Swedish mothers breastfeed the most of any in the world; 72 percent of Swedish mothers are still breastfeeding when the child is 6 months old.

The number of children per mother in Sweden ...