LONDON - Britain is the worst country in the industrialised world in which to be a child, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday.

The charity looked at 40 indicators to gauge the lives of children in 21 economically advanced nations -- the first study of its kind -- and found Britain's children were among the poorest and most neglected.

Children's charities and opposition politicians described the findings as "shameful" and accused Prime Minister Tony Blair's government of failing a generation of children.

Britain lagged behind on key measures of poverty and deprivation, happiness, relationships, and risky or bad behaviour, the study showed.

It scored a little better for education but languished in the bottom third for all other measures, giving it the lowest overall placing, along with the United States.

Children's happiness was rated highest in northern Europe, with the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark leading the list.

"All countries have weaknesses that need to be addressed and no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions," said David Bull, UNICEF UK's executive director.

REUTERS