Arab children fare well but not their mothers. (General).

BEIRUT -- Arab children have, on average, a greater chance of surviving birth and living to see their 5th birthday than children in the rest of the world and Arab women have a lower chance of surviving pregnancy and childbirth.

The UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, in a report, The State of the Arab Child, found that the Arab world has a lower under five and infant mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) than the world average but lags behind in maternal mortality and contraceptive prevalence.

According to the report, under five mortality in the Arab world is 77 per thousand live births, lower than developing countries, which stand at 91 per thousand. The world average is 83 per thousand.

The Arab world surpasses the rest of the world in births attended by trained medical staff. The report adds however, that "maternal mortality ratios and contraceptive prevalence in the Arab countries, on average, lag behind the world average and even the developing countries average" despite higher gross national income the Arab world compared to the developing countries.

As for children under five who are moderately to severely underweight in the Arab world, UNICEF said that ratios here are estimated at 20 percent which "compares very favorably with the averages for least developed countries (37 percent), developing countries (28 percent) and the world (27 percent)."