The well-being of children in many of the world’s richest countries, including Romania, has deteriorated significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis released by UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight. The top three countries are the Netherlands, Denmark, and France, while Romania is at number 16 in the report, ranking well in mental health but low in physical health.
Each edition of the Innocenti Report Card series presents a league table that ranks countries on how they are doing on key aspects of child well-being, namely mental well-being, physical health, and skills.
The Report Card 19: Child Well-being in an Unpredictable World compares data from 2018 and 2022 to examine the effects of the pandemic and global disruptions on children in 43 OECD and EU countries. It found that since the last comparable report five years ago, children’s academic performance, mental health, and physical health have declined in many nations.
The top three countries are the Netherlands, Denmark, and France, and they also lead on mental health, physical health, and skills.
Romania ranks 16th out of 36 high-income countries included in the study. The country performs well in mental health, placing 5th, but lags significantly in physical health and skills, ranking 32nd and 26th, respectively.
The share of Romanian 15-year-olds reporting satisfaction with life dropped from 85% in 2018 to 81% in 2022. Meanwhile, the percentage of those frequently facing bullying fell from 33.8% to 24.6% over the same period. The rate of overweight children aged 5 to 19 rose from 21% to 23%.
Across the 43 countries assessed, the report estimates that around 8 million 15-year-olds – nearly half of that age group – lack basic proficiency in reading and mathematics. An increase of 4 percentage points compared to 2018 is observed, with the highest proportions recorded in Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, and Mexico, where this category includes more than two-thirds of 15-year-olds.
UNICEF highlights school closures during the pandemic, which ranged from three to twelve months, as a key factor behind the drop in academic performance. Many children had to rely on remote learning, leading to an average learning loss of seven months to a year. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds were the most affected.
The report also notes a worrying decline in life satisfaction among children in 15 of 32 countries with available data, with Japan being the only country to show a marked improvement.
Overweight and obesity rates increased significantly in 14 countries, continuing a long-term trend in child physical health.
UNICEF warns that even in high-income countries, hard-won gains in child well-being are increasingly vulnerable to global shocks, including climate change. It urges governments to take immediate, coordinated action across multiple policy areas to reverse the decline, particularly for children left behind during the pandemic.
Recommendations include strengthening core skills such as literacy, numeracy, digital, social, and emotional competencies; improving mental health through prevention, promotion, and specialized services; promoting physical health through access to nutritious food and tighter regulation of unhealthy food marketing; and actively involving children in decision-making processes.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
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