Children Have Less Satisfaction in United States, Country Has One of the Highest Poverty Rates Among Developed Nations

Life's not easy, especially when you're a kid. You get teased, made fun of and fitting in with the general crowd can be quite difficult at times. But a new report from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) shows that it's quite more than all that. 

Statistics show that for children living in the United States, life may not be quite as satisfying compared to those living in other developed nations. 

A new report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on children's well-being in 29 countries revealed that, during the years 2009 and 2010, the U.S. ranked only 23rd in terms of life satisfaction for those age 11, 13 and 15.

When looking at Canada, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and Romania, the United States finished ahead. Between 75 and 85 percent of children in these countries rated their life satisfaction as above average. 

However, the nations with the highest ratings from children were the Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Finland and Greece. About 90 percent of the children in those countries reported a high level of life satisfaction during those years. 

The same report also ranked nations based on the percentage of children living in poverty. This key statistic may show why the United States finished so low in terms of children's life satisfaction, given that it finished almost last (34th out of 35th countries surveyed) in the child poverty rate category. 

The report indicates that more than 20 percent of American children fall below a relative poverty line, which UNICEF defines as living in a household that earns less than half of the national median.