Finland was also bypassed by Australia and New Zealand.
Norway was ranked at the top because the so few women die in childbirth, infant mortality rate is extremely low, birth control is widely used, men's and women's incomes are on par, and the country provides long maternity leaves.
The worst place on the planet for a mother is Afghanistan.
The United States also fares surprisingly poorly, placing only 28th on the list. It is the lowest-ranked developing country, where deaths in childbirth are five times more common than in Greece or Italy, and where children under the age of five die twice as often as in Finland.
In addition, women in the United States are poorly represented in government, receive less pay than men, and have shorter maternity periods than anywhere else in the developed world.
