Earlier this month, we profiled the 30 best places in the world to be a mother — those countries where women are given the social, economic and educational tools to build the best possible lives for their children. But it's also important to take a closer look at areas of the world where mothers aren't so lucky.
According to the 2013 State of the World's Mothers report, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the most challenging place in the world to be a mother, followed by Somalia and Sierra Leone. In the DRC, the lifetime risk of maternal death is one in 30, and one in six children will die before his or her 5th birthday.
The report, which evaluated 176 countries on the basis of maternal health, child mortality, educational status, economic status and political status, also underscores vast regional disparities. The 10 toughest places to be a mother are all in Sub-Saharan Africa, where women are nearly 120 times as likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth as they are in industrialized countries.
Check out the slideshow below for more information on the 10 most challenging places to be a mom, and visit Save the Children to find out how you can help accelerate progress in the health and well-being of mothers and their children.
Most Challenging Places To Be A Mother
For more detail on each country and for the full rankings of the 176 countries evaluated, please refer to Save the Children's main report.