American kids are 70 percent more likely to die before adulthood

In a list of 20 wealthy countries on childhood deaths, the U.S. comes in dead last, according to Vox.

The research was published in the journal, Health Affairs. It estimates America’s poor performance accounts for 600,000 excess child deaths since 1961.

The good news is that in all the wealthy democratic countries, children are dying less often than they were 50 years ago, but according to the study, the U.S. is far behind the rest.

The study also finds that this is especially true for infants and teenagers in the U.S.

So why exactly is this happening? Well the answers aren’t exactly straight forward.

The study's lead author argues that it is most likely because of America’s fragmented health care system.

He says, for example, a new mother may not qualify for Medicaid until she is pregnant, which could lead to untreated health issues affecting the child.

Another factor is the rise of childhood poverty that occurred in the 1980’s.

The study also points to gun deaths, saying that teenagers in the U.S. are 82 times more likely to die from a gun homicide than any of the other countries.