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With Mother's Day just around the corner, Canadian moms can be grateful that their country has been ranked as the ninth best place in the world to be a mother, according to a new report.

Scandinavian and Northern European countries swept the top spots on Save the Children's annual Mothers' Index. Canada ranked just ahead of the U.S. and the U.K., but just below Australia and the Netherlands, which tied for seventh. Countries in sub-Sahara Africa dominated the bottom tier, according to the index.

The report by the U.S.-based independent humanitarian organization ranks the status of mothers and children in 125 different countries, measuring such indicators of wellbeing as life expectancy, availability of health care, access to clean water and food, among others.

There are countries that are much worse off  than those ranked in the index. Somalia was so low that it wasn't even ranked in the top 125 countries. It finished behind 166 other countries, according to Save the Children.

In that country, more than one in seven children die before their first birthday (by comparison one in 200 children die before their first birthday in Canada). More than 70 per cent of Somalia's population lacks access to safe drinking water and 17 per cent of children suffer from malnutrition.

Somalia is equally dangerous for mothers with 10 per cent of women dying during childbirth, according to the report. In Canada, 1 in 8,700 women die during childbirth.

Women and their children also lack access to proper health care and education.

In the bottom 10 countries, only one-third of children are enrolled in school and nearly a quarter of their mothers are illiterate.

"Life is not easy for moms and children in the bottom-ranked countries. Most have never been to school. Mothers are lucky to survive childbirth, and their babies fortunate to survive the first month, yet alone the first year," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children, in a statement.

Canada ranked lower than other Western nations on several indicators, accounting for its ninth place finish. It had a slightly higher infant mortality rate than several of the nations it ranked below and slightly lower rate of participation of women in the national government, among other indicators.

Top 10 countries for motherhood

1. Sweden

2. Denmark/Finland

4. Austria/Germany/Norway

7. Australia/Netherlands

9. Canada

10. U.S./U.K.

10 worst countries for motherhood

125. Niger

124. Burkina Faso

123. Mali

122. Chad

121. Guinea-Bissau

120. Sierra Leone

119. Ethiopia

118. Yemen

117. Central African Republic

115. Democratic Republic of Congo/Liberia