Best Countries For A Child To Fall Sick In

Amanda L. Chan
Updated

No one ever wants to see a child become sick -- but, if he or she does, what's the No. 1 country for that to happen, based on how many health-care workers are available to take care of the child?

Not the United States, according to a ranking of 161 countries, compiled by the nonprofit Save the Children. You can find the full rankinghere.

The index is based on the number of health care workers (like doctors, nurses and midwives) available for every 10,000 people in a country, as well as their reach and impact on the population. It also factors in the proportion of kids who get vaccinated, as well as mothers who are able to get emergency care during childbirth.

According to the World Health Organization, 23 health care workers per 10,000 people is optimal for mothers and kids to receive the care they need. The U.S. has about 125 health workers for every 10,000 people, coming in at No. 15, according to the Save the Children index.

The bottom-ranking countries on the list were Somalia and Chad, with an average of seven health workers for every 10,000 people.

In some of these bottom-ranked countries, health workers are highly concentrated in urban or city areas, thereby making it hard for people in rural environments to get health care, Save the Children reported.

Here are the 10 countries that ranked at the top, for health worker reach and impact -- making them the best countries for a child to fall sick in, according to this scale.

Best: No. 10 Germany

Germany ranked as the tenth best place for a child to fall sick.
Germany ranked as the tenth best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 9 Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan ranked as the ninth best place for a child to fall sick.
Uzbekistan ranked as the ninth best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 8 Cuba

Cuba ranked as the eighth best place for a child to fall sick.
Cuba ranked as the eighth best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 7 Sweden

Sweden ranked as the seventh best place for a child to fall sick.
Sweden ranked as the seventh best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 6 Denmark

Denmark ranked as the sixth best place for a child to fall sick.
Denmark ranked as the sixth best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 5 Belarus

Belarus ranked as the fifth best place for a child to fall sick.
Belarus ranked as the fifth best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 4 Norway

Norway ranked as the fourth best place for a child to fall sick.
Norway ranked as the fourth best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 3 Ireland

Ireland ranked as the third best place for a child to fall sick.
Ireland ranked as the third best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 2 Finland

Finland ranked as the second best place for a child to fall sick.
Finland ranked as the second best place for a child to fall sick.

Best: No. 1 Switzerland

Switzerland ranked first as the best place for a child to fall sick.
Switzerland ranked first as the best place for a child to fall sick.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.