Britain and U.S are among the worst of the developed countries in terms of taking care of their children, according to a report released by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The report said that British and American children are among the poorest and most neglected of the 21 developed countries that UNICEF had surveyed. Even though Britain is the fifth richest country in the world, British children are under some of the worst levels of poverty.

The report added that British children are more prone to getting drunk, with over 31 percent of 11 to 15 year olds admitting that they got drunk at least twice. They were also used drugs, and had more experience of underage sex than other countries in the survey.

UNICEF measured the conditions in the country for around 40 indicators and found that Britain was among the worst in poverty and deprivation, happiness, relationships, and risky or bad behavior, though it had some success in education.

David Bull, UNICEF UK's executive director, said that not one of the countries scored at an acceptable level for all the indicators. "All countries have weaknesses that need to be addressed and no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions. By comparing the performance of countries we see what is possible with a commitment to supporting every child to fulfill his or her full potential", he added.

Meanwhile George Osborne, Treasury spokesman for the Conservatives, said that the report was an indication of the inefficiency of the government which has spent billions on child welfare. Accusing Chancellor Gordon Brown of having "failed this generation of children", Osborne said, "After 10 years of his welfare and education policies, our children today have the lowest well-being in the developed world."

The full list of UNICEF’s Child well-being table is as given below:

1. Netherlands
2. Sweden
3. Denmark
4. Finland
5. Spain
6. Switzerland
7. Norway
8. Italy
9. Republic of Ireland
10. Belgium
11. Germany
12. Canada
13. Greece
14. Poland
15. Czech Republic
16. France
17. Portugal
18. Austria
19. Hungary
20. United States
21. United Kingdom

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