This Arab country is among the worst in the world for newborns

UNICEF recently released a report ranking countries around the world by their newborn mortality rates in 2016 ... and one Arab country is listed among the worst globally. 

Out of the 10 countries with the highest newborn mortality rates, eight are located in sub-Saharan Africa.

Somalia, an Arab country, is ranked 4th worst globally. 

The report - which estimates the staggering number of infant deaths per year to be about 2.6 million within the first month of being born - was based on data from the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. 

On average, 39 infants - out of 1,000 live births - die in Somalia during their first month, making it the 4th most dangerous country for newborns around the world. 

Much of the burden of such high mortality rates in different countries is due to "limited access to clean water at health facilities," Stefen Peterson, chief of health at UNICEF, told CNN.

According to UNICEF's report, "high-income countries have a newborn mortality rate of 3, compared with 27 for low-income countries."

It goes on to point that if "every country brought its newborn mortality rate down to the high-income average, or below, by 2030, 16 million newborn lives could be saved." 

In the "low income" bracket, Arab countries ranked as follows (highest mortality rate to lowest): 

1. Somalia (39 deaths per 1,000 live births)
2. Comoros (33 deaths per 1,000 live births)

In the "lower middle income" bracket, Arab countries ranked as follows:

1. Mauritania (34 deaths per 1,000 live births)
2. Djibouti (33 deaths per 1,000 live births)
3. Sudan (29 deaths per 1,000 live births)
4. Yemen (27 deaths per 1,000 live births) 
5. Morocco (18 deaths per 1,000 live births)
   
6. Egypt (13 deaths per 1,000 live births)
7. Palestine (11 deaths per 1,000 live births)
8. Jordan (10.6 deaths per 1,000 live births)
9. Syria (9 deaths per 1,000 live births)
10. Tunisia (8 deaths per 1,000 live births)

In the "upper middle income" bracket, Arab countries ranked as follows:

1. Iraq (18.2 deaths per 1,000 live births)
2. Algeria (16 deaths per 1,000 live births)
3. Libya (7.1 deaths per 1,000 live births)
4. Lebanon (5 deaths per 1,000 live births)

In the "high income" bracket, Arab countries ranked as follows:

1. Saudi Arabia (7 deaths per 1,000 live births)
2. Oman (5 deaths per 1,000 live births)
3. Kuwait (4.4 deaths per 1,000 live births)
4. Qatar (4.1 deaths per 1,000 live births) 
5. UAE (4 deaths per 1,000 live births)
6. Bahrain (3 deaths per 1,000 live births)

Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country, is the riskiest place for newborns. Out of 1,000 live births, 46 babies die within the first month.

On the other end of the spectrum is Japan, deemed to be the safest country for newborns, with the lowest newborn mortality rate: one death in every 1,000 births.

Read the full report here.