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The Top 10 Best Countries In The World To Raise A Family

family cuddle on sofa scaled

The UK has fallen behind its European neighbours after failing to make the top 25 in a list of the ‘Best Countries in the World to Raise a Family’.

The new study from EnjoyTravel shows the UK lagging well behind – in 26th place – with European countries such as Denmark, Finland, Poland, Iceland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Germany taking seven of the top 10 spots and Norway leading the world ranking. 

The study from travel specialists EnjoyTravel takes into account key factors such as healthcare, safety, salaries and rent. 

Whilst the UK ranked well for education, it dropped several places due to safety, salaries and rent, as well as maternity and paternity leave.

Compared to an average across Europe of 14 weeks maternity leave, the UK stands at 11.6 weeks (full pay) and an average of 2 weeks for paternity, compared to 26 weeks in Sweden or 20.8 weeks in Norway. 

Despite the UK offering universal healthcare, major issues such as the number of staff off sick, early retirement and high vacancy rates were taken into account. 

Martin Mansell, chief executive at EnjoyTravel, said: “It’s no secret that the UK is going through a tough time at the moment, but we are surprised to see the UK ranked so poorly.

Healthcare, safety, salaries and rent are all key components when it comes to raising a family, so for the UK to score so low on these points is particularly concerning. 

It’s important to highlight that a lot of countries, including the USA, fell further down the list due to a lack of paid maternity and paternity leave – an issue that will affect millions of people. 

Norway tops the list when it comes to raising a family, with safety, education and healthcare all scoring highly. But it’s Norway’s maternity and paternity offering that stands head and shoulders above the rest.”

The Top 10 Best Countries in the World to Raise a Family 

  1. Norway 
  2. Singapore 
  3. Denmark 
  4. Iceland 
  5. Finland 
  6. Poland 
  7. Germany 
  8. New Zealand 
  9. Netherlands 
  10. Czech Republic 

Source: www.enjoytravel.com with research conducted by global travel site Big 7 Travel. The complete top 25 ranking, including data sources and points system is here. 

Countries across the world were ranked according to their Global Safety Index, healthcare, OECD Median Salary, Rent Index, and United Nations Education Index.