Fertility rates cut in half since 1950 -- but the population is still growing

By Michael Nedelman, CNN

Updated 0945 GMT (1745 HKT) November 9, 2018

A 2017 report by <a href="http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9def2ebe-10ae-432c-9bd0-df91d2eba74a%7D/SAVETHECHILDREN_ENDOFCHILDHOOD_INDEX_2017_EASTAFRICA%20EDITION_LOWRES.PDF" target="_blank">Save the Children</a> ranked 172 countries from best to worst in an effort to explore the main reasons why childhood comes to an early end in certain places. Here are countries that ranked highest and lowest.<br /><br /><strong>Norway: </strong>A woman kisses her 4-month-old son in Oslo. Fewer than 0.3% of children die before the age of 5 in Norway.
Photos: The best and worst countries to be a child
A 2017 report by Save the Children ranked 172 countries from best to worst in an effort to explore the main reasons why childhood comes to an early end in certain places. Here are countries that ranked highest and lowest.

Norway: A woman kisses her 4-month-old son in Oslo. Fewer than 0.3% of children die before the age of 5 in Norway.
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<strong>Finland: </strong>A 2-year-old at her public day care in Helsinki. Only 2% of primary- and secondary-school-age children are out of school in Finland.