South Sudan’s mothers more likely to die than peers in developed countries, says a new report by a charity group.

Out of 179 countries ranked for where best to be a mother, South Sudan comes close to the bottom in 159th place, reveals Save the Children’s 16^th annual State of the World’s Mothers report.

The report says due to the current crisis, displacement, poverty and violence has made life incredibly difficult for the women and children of South Sudan.

‘We urgently need to close the gap in life chances for mothers and children so that – no matter where they live, what ethnicity – everyone has a fair chance to survive during what should be a joyous occasion and fulfil their potential,’ says Peter Walsh, Country Director of Save the Children in South Sudan.

A child in South Sudan is more likely to die before seeing his or her 5th birthday, while a girl is more likely to die during childbirth than completing primary education.

‘If South Sudan is going to complete the task of ending preventable child and maternal deaths, we have to find better ways of getting health care to all the population around the country, regardless of where they live’  says Mr Walsh.

In this year’s report, Norway tops the list, closely followed by other Nordic countries, while Somalia remains last for the second year running. African countries dominate the bottom quarter of the list.