Experts are dismayed by the results of a new report on the best place for children to grow up, which ranks Australia 15th in the world.

Save The Children compares 176 countries on access to health care, education, nutrition and protection from issues like child labour and child marriage.

Australia is ranked behind nations like Cyprus, Slovenia and Portugal, and only two spots above Israel.

Paul Ronalds, Save The Children Australia’s CEO, says the ranking is disappointing.

“Australia has not made very much progress on the really complex poverty issues we have in some of our communities,” he said.

“Australia has some of the most geographically concentrated poverty in the OECD and we’re really just not making much progress on reducing the impact on children of that entrenched poverty.”

Australia is ranked ahead of the UK (22), New Zealand (25) and the United States (36).

RANKINGS

1. Singapore
2. Sweden
3. Finland
3. Norway
3. Slovenia
6. Germany
6. Ireland
8. Italy
8. Republic of Korea
10. Belgium
11. Iceland
11. Portugal
13. Cyprus
13. Spain
15. Australia
15. Switzerland
17. Israel
17. Luxembourg
19. France
19. Japan
19. Lithuania
22. United Kingdom
23. Canada
23. Denmark
25. New Zealand