The US ranked lower than 38 other nations in the report entitled “A future for the world’s children?” which surveyed 180 countries.

The commission was headed up by 40 experts from the World Heath Organization (WHO), The Lancet medical journal and UNICEF.

They found kids in Norway, South Korea and the Netherlands had better changes of survival and well-being due to good healthcare, nutrition, education.

Countries were scored by their carbon emissions per-capita, putting nations like the US and Australia close to the bottom.

These rich nations were noted as contributors to global health threats as a result of climate change.

‘OVERHAULED APPROACH’

Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who co-chaired the commission, said action was needed.

Clark said: “Countries need to overhaul their approach to child and adolescent health.

“[We need] to ensure that we not only look after our children today but protect the world they will inherit in the future.”

The “flourishing” part of the report measured countries in terms of surviving and thriving.

The top 10 were Norway, South Korea, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Denmark, Japan, Belgium, Iceland, and the UK, with Central African […]