If you are thinking of moving with your family, it may be useful to check the rankings of the countries with the best quality of life. But if you have children, it may be better to know the best countries to raise children being an immigrant.
After all, with children you need to consider more than just average income and economic stability. It is important to check howhealthy and happy local children are, the quality of education, maternity/paternity leave policies and even how many green areas and playgrounds there are.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) considers these factors in preparing its child well-being bulletins. It is true that these rankings only analyse rich countries and not all data is relevant for families living abroad.
But still, it is interesting to get an idea of what it is like to raise children in different parts of the world.. So check out the list recently put together by the BBC:
Ranking of the best countries to raise children
1. Japan
According to a 2020 Unicef report, Japan ranks first in physical health for children, which includes low rates of childhood obesity and infant mortality. And in the most recent 2022 report, they also came second in the “world around the child” category, which assesses the environment in which children grow up.
In addition, Japan is super safe for families, with an extremely low homicide rate and a reliable public transport system that allows children to walk to school on their own from the age of six.
But even with all these benefits, locals can seem pessimistic because it is culturally expected to downplay something good in order to appear humble. But the truth is that Japan is an amazing place to raise children, with one of the best education systems in the world and even generous paid parental leave.
2. Estonia
Estonia is a benchmark in several areas when it comes to childcare, and for this reason has been ranked second among the best countries for raising children as an immigrant. There, children suffer less from air, sound and pesticide pollution than in other rich countries.
And it still has more urban green areas than the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom combined! Children also love the leisure areas, such as the playgrounds. And do you know what the best part is? Estonian children are super smart! They do well in maths, science and literacy, even better than those in other countries outside Asia.
And look, even in kindergarten, they have robotics classes and use tablets to learn through play! But not only that, they also have great socio-emotional skills and know how to cooperate with other children and identify emotions very well. And the family leave policies in Estonia are a dream!
The maternity leave is 100 days, paternity is 30 days and after that, the parents still have another 475 days of paid leave to share between them until the child reaches the age of three. And for 60 of those days, both parents can stay at home at the same time and still get paid normally! Even foreign mothers and fathers can access this wonderful leave.
3. Spain
Spain tops the charts when it comes to children’s environment, according to Unicef. They have a low child morbidity rate because of air or water pollution. Although its social, educational and health services are not the best, children in Spain are still doing well.
The country ranks third in child mental wellbeing and fourth in basic academic and social skills. Children in Spain seem to be happy and have lots of friends, and there is one of the lowest teenage suicide rates among rich countries.
One mother who took part in the survey and moved from Chicago to Madrid 15 years ago said it is refreshing how Spanish culture embraces children. It is socially acceptable to take your child everywhere, including bars and restaurants, and no one worries about the noise of children.
Parental leave in Spain is generous too. Parental leave in Spain is generous too. After that, the mother can take unpaid leave for up to three years or reduce her workload.
Sure, Spain has its faults, such as a lack of available crèches, but it still has a lot to offer families.
4. Finland
Finland is an amazing country when it comes to looking after children. They have a very good educational system, the children are very literate and good at maths.
In addition, parents love the relationship they have with their children’s school. The infant mortality rate is very low and parents are entitled to very generous parental leave.
The country is surrounded by many forests and parks, even in the capital. Parks are very wild and natural, and being in touch with nature helps prevent anxiety and depression problems.
The winter is very cold and dark, but the summers are incredible with many hours of sunlight. Hadley Dean’s family, who took part in the BBC research, love living in Finland, even with the harsh winter.
5. Netherlands
The Netherlands is the coolest country for children, according to Unicef. They are top in child mental health and skills. Nine out of 10 15-year-olds are happy with life and 8 out of 10 say they make friends easily.
According to Olga Mecking, author of the book “Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing”, the culture in the Netherlands is one of being normal, which results in a less pressured childhood.
In addition there are many community activities, and the Netherlands has a great welfare system that offers a lot of leave for parents. Having children there is certainly a good experience.
If you haven’t decided yet which of the best countries to raise children you want to move to, take a look at the best countries to travel with children for now..
