EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The happiest children are to be found in the Netherlands while Britain is among the worst countries in Europe in which to grow up, a new study examining children's wellbeing in 29 European countries has shown.

The report, by the Child Poverty Action Group, compares 43 separate criteria such as health, education and housing standards in EU member states as well as Norway and Iceland.

Children are best off in the Netherlands and Scandinavia

The Netherlands followed by Sweden and Norway are the countries considered to be the best places in which to be a child.

At the bottom of the league are Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta.