New Zealand has fared poorly on child well-being after a recent report by UNICEF revealed the country’s poor childhood obesity and suicide statistics.

The country ranks 35th among 41 developed countries in the OECD and European Union, on child well-being outcomes, the Unicef Innocenti report card showed. 

The Netherlands was ranked at the top, followed by Denmark and Norway. 

In fact, the top 10 performing countries are all in Europe. 

The suicide rate among adolescents in New Zealand is the second-highest in the developed world, with 14.9 deaths per 100,000 adolescents. It was ranked just above Lithuania with 18.2 deaths per 100,000 adolescents. 

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The Pacific island nation also has the second-highest obesity rate, with one in three children and adolescents being overweight. 

Unicef New Zealand executive director Vivien Maidaborn described the findings as “woeful”, Guardian reported. 

“The report card gives New Zealand an F for failure when it comes to wellbeing outcomes for children,” Maidaborn said.

“This is a woeful result for a country that prides itself on the great outdoors, academic achievement, and the international success of our sports teams. It is time to be alarmed and activated about the inequality of opportunity, health and wellbeing in New Zealand,” she added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the report was more reflective of the previous government’s underinvestment in families and did not take into account its recent progress and funding that had been allocated to the area, Guardian reported.

She said the report pre-dated her government’s $3.7 billion families package and its progress lifting more than 18,000 children out of poverty.