ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranked 24th in the KidsRights Index 2026, becoming the only country from Eastern Europe and Central Asia to enter the global top 25 and outpacing its Central Asian neighbors in the annual ranking of children’s rights.
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The index was released on June 24 by KidsRights, an Amsterdam-based international children’s rights organization, in cooperation with Erasmus University Rotterdam. It measures children’s rights in 194 countries.
The leader in the index is Luxembourg, followed by Iceland and Monaco. Germany, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Slovenia and Austria round up the top 10 in the list.
Kazakhstan posted an overall score of 0.797 in the index. Its highest marks came in child protection at 0.944, and health at 0.900. The country also scored 0.847 in the life category, 0.765 in education and 0.583 in the enabling environment for children’s rights.
The report points to a worldwide deterioration in the protection of children’s rights, citing factors such as escalating armed conflicts, a sharp increase in conflict-related sexual violence against children and the spread of childhood obesity.
It also highlights slow progress and, in some cases, setbacks in the implementation of children’s rights. Just five countries moved up in this year’s index, while 31 dropped to lower-performing groups. The number of countries in the highest-performing category also fell by 30% from 2025.
“Children are increasingly exposed to risks they did not create and cannot control,” said Marc Dullaert, founder and chairman of KidsRights. “Whether children are growing up in the shadow of war or in environments that undermine their health, the result is the same: their rights, wellbeing and future opportunities are being put at risk. The world is failing to provide children with the protection they are entitled to.”
Children in armed conflicts
The report also warns of the growing toll that armed conflict is taking on children worldwide. Conflict-related sexual violence against children rose by 35% since 2024.
The report says more than one in five children globally are directly affected by armed conflict, while explosive weapons account for 69% of child casualties in war zones.
Obesity as global epidemic
The report points to childhood obesity as a global epidemic impacting children in every part of the world. It notes that for the first time in history, obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 surpasses underweight globally.
Overweight and obesity, which were once seen mainly as challenges for high-income countries, are now rising across low- and middle-income nations, highlighting the global reach of the crisis. Latin America and the Caribbean, along with the Middle East and North Africa, report the highest prevalence.
