While many American families have difficulty envisioning raising kids outside the United States, others look to other parts of the world and see opportunities to give their children new, unique experiences. Of course, these families may also be eyeing other countries’ pro-family policies and public infrastructure as great resources to take advantage of.
Check out these unique places worldwide to raise kids; perhaps you’ll find the perfect new locale to raise your family.
1. Denmark
Thanks to its incredibly generous universal healthcare system, excellent public schools, high living wages, affordable child care, and groundbreaking gender equality laws, Denmark is a world leader in social mobility and overall quality of life. Denmark also offers a full year of paid parental leave and is one of the safest countries in Europe.
2. Norway
This Nordic nation initially achieved prosperity by discovering oil and gas offshore. Still, it’s becoming an environmental leader committed to sustainability and has a wealth of amazing parks and public lands for kids to explore and enjoy. Norway often leads in public schools, universal healthcare, and solid wages. Though housing costs tend to be high, Norway’s average salaries are also exceptionally high.
3. Singapore
This tiny island city-state surrounded by Malaysia and Indonesia is a world leader in high-quality public education, universal healthcare, and high salaries. Although Singapore’s housing costs are notoriously high, most people earn more than enough to cover rent or buy a home. While Singapore has infamously strict laws regulating public behavior outside the house, the flip side is that Singapore often ranks as one of the world’s safest countries.
4. Germany
Germany has long been Europe’s economic leader, and it continues to lead in job opportunities and average income. Germany also excels in universal healthcare and public education. You may also receive a subsidy of up to €1,800 per month in paid parental leave (≈ $1951 U.S. dollars) since Germany allows parents to take up to three years of work leave following the birth of a child.
5. Australia
The “Land Down Under” is a world leader in public education, community safety, healthcare, and living wages. The trade-off: high housing prices and cost of living. But if you can make it work for your budget, Australia provides plenty of value for families. Unlike most other countries near the top of this list, Australia’s major urban areas have mild Mediterranean-like climates conducive to year-round outdoor activities.
6. Iceland
This icy island nation nestled between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans has plenty to offer families, including one of the world’s lowest violent crime rates, a four-level public education system that may be Europe’s best, a rock-solid universal healthcare system, and six months of paid parental leave at 80% average salary. As long as you’re okay with cool year-round weather and isolation from the rest of Europe, Iceland may be the place for you.
7. Japan
With an excellent public education system, universal healthcare, intense job and earning prospects, and high public safety, it’s easy to see why Japan is often considered a great country to raise a family. The country also guarantees up to four weeks of paid paternity leave and six weeks of paid maternity leave.
8. South Korea
South Koreans pride themselves on their family-centric culture, and their public policy follows suit. Parents are guaranteed up to three months of paid maternity leave and ten days of paid paternity leave, which employers cover through insurance. Parents may also qualify for monthly stipends to assist in family finances; South Korea consistently ranks high in public safety and overall quality of life.
9. Canada
Canada may sit right above the U.S., but it feels worlds away when it comes to its famed universal healthcare system as well as its great public education system and Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to help parents save for college. Since Canada is in such close proximity to America, it’s also (relatively) easy to fly or drive back to visit any U.S.-based relatives.
10. Switzerland
Switzerland regularly ranks high in average household income, excellent healthcare, sound environmental stewardship, and solid public safety, so it’s unsurprising that some expats love spending quality time here and raising a family. If it weren’t for Switzerland’s sky-high housing costs, we’d rank this Alpine country much higher.
11. Ireland
The Emerald Isle has plenty to offer families, including some of the world’s best public schools, exceptionally generous paid parental leave (at 26 weeks per child), an abundance of high-paying jobs, and excellent public safety. The one big downside is Ireland’s exceptionally high cost of living. But if you can afford it, you might find that Ireland’s pro-family policies are worth it.
12. The Netherlands
There’s a lot for families to love about the Netherlands:
- Education that’s individually tailored to a student’s needs and strengths.
- Generous paid parental leave programs.
- A wondrous collection of charming cities and scenic countryside.
- A solid economy with many high-paying jobs.
The one major challenge, however, is the tighter immigration rules that may make it difficult for you to obtain legal residency.
13. Sweden
Unsurprisingly, Scandinavian countries tend to score well in the qualities that families want in a place to raise their kids. Even though Sweden may not rank as high as other Scandinavian neighbors, it still offers rock-solid public schools, up to 240 days in paid parental leave (or 480 days combined for couples), affordable college opportunities, universal healthcare, and overall affordability in cost of living.
14. Finland
Finland often ranks as the happiest nation in the world. Considering its fantastic public education system, generous paid parental leave (up to 160 days), sound healthcare system, and abundance of free and low-cost recreational resources, we can see why Finns are quite happy starting families and raising children there.
15. New Zealand
Since New Zealand consistently ranks high in public school quality, universal healthcare, and public safety, it makes this list due to its excellent quality of life. Even better, average salaries tend to be high while the cost of living is typically lower than that of Australia and Japan. The one downside, though, is New Zealand’s stingy parental leave policies.
16. Spain
Despite Europe’s cost of living problems, Spain remains much more affordable in housing and food costs. At the same time, Spain also ranks high in public safety and universal healthcare, and Spain’s famed Mediterranean climate is one of Europe’s mildest. Though Spain’s salaries and public education system tend to lag behind the rest of Western Europe, its schools and overall quality of life might still outrank those of North American countries.