For every family that has decided to emigrate, the main question is: where are the best places to raise children – or, indeed, to be a child?
For people looking to relocate, rankings of the world's most liveable countries can be useful. However, if you have children, you must consider not only average income or economic stability, but other factors too. Perhaps you want to know about the health or happiness of local children, the quality of education, family leave policies – or even which countries have the greenest areas or play spaces.
It is exactly these factors that Unicef focuses on in its “report cards” on child well-being. It is important to note that their rankings only look at the world’s wealthiest countries, and not all data may be equally relevant to expat families. Nevertheless, their results help provide insight into what it is really like to raise children in different countries around the world.
We have used some of these studies to try and answer every emigrating family's main question: where are the best places to raise children – or, in this case, to be a child?
Japan
In Unicef's 2020 child well-being analysis, Japan took first place in the physical health category, which looks at child mortality and obesity. Meanwhile, in the latest Unicef 2022 report, which specifically looked at the environment in which children grow up, it ranked second in the “children’s environment” category, which includes aspects such as urban green space and traffic safety. Japan also has the lowest rate of child obesity, low child mortality, and an extremely low level of air and water pollution that negatively affects children.
Japan is also one of the safest countries for families, and not just regarding road traffic accidents. The total homicide rate in Japan is the lowest of all countries surveyed by Unicef: 0.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants is only a small fraction of that in the USA (5.3), Canada (1.8) or even Australia (0.8).
Even in the centre of Tokyo, children simply walk around and go to school by themselves. It is completely normal because it is truly safe. The safety factor does not just mean that families can relax a little. It also has a huge impact on the freedom that children can enjoy, points out Mami McCagg (Mami McCagg), who was born in Tokyo and now lives in London. “From the age of six, children go to school by themselves. They take the bus or train if it is not within walking distance,” she emphasised. “Even in the centre of Tokyo, children simply walk around and go to school by themselves. It is completely normal because it is truly safe. Nobody really worries about their children because we don't have to.”
According to OECD assessments, which Unicef used to obtain data, Japan has one of the best education systems in the world, ranking 12th out of 76 countries and regions. Japan provides broad rights to paid parental leave, which lasts about 12 months for each working parent, although the state is working on motivating (especially fathers) to use it.
Interestingly, despite the many benefits Japan can offer families, it is no surprise that locals seem critical, noted Mami McCagg. “You can hear a lot of pessimism because we always hear about the positive features of other countries and compare them with Japan,” she explains. “It is also a cultural trait that you have to talk about something you identify with ‘from the outside’ in order to seem modest. But I would say that Japan is a really lovely place to raise children.”
Estonia
Although Estonia is not at the top of the Unicef overall ranking, it is highly rated in several important aspects. Children are exposed to less air pollution, less noise pollution and fewer pesticides than in almost any other wealthy country. There is more green space in cities than in many other countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia or the UK, and children very often say they like the nearby recreational areas, such as playgrounds. Estonia has the second lowest share of babies born with low birth weight compared to all affluent countries, which is usually considered a good indicator of prenatal care quality.
However, one of the biggest benefits might be Estonia's education system: children's maths, science and literacy skills are better than in any country outside of Asia. Emphasis is also placed on digital skills. “Already in kindergartens, there is robotics, smartphones and so on, all of it is used in the play process,” explains Anne-Mai Meesak (Anne-Mai Meesak), a project manager at the Estonian Education and Youth Board, who studies the country's early childhood education systems.
The benefits of the system are broader than just reading and robotics. A recent OECD report found that a five-year-old Estonian child is on average better at mastering various social and emotional skills than those in the USA and England, including cooperating with other children and recognising emotions. Also, in terms of self-regulation skills, such as cognitive flexibility, working memory and inhibitory control, Estonian children are well above the OECD average.
Regarding family leave: Estonia has one of the most generous policies in the world – 100 days of maternity leave, as well as 30 days of paternity leave, followed by 475 days of paid parental leave. This can be split or used part-time until the child reaches three years of age. For up to 60 of these days, both parents can stay at home simultaneously and both are paid for it. Both parents also receive 10 working days of paid childcare leave for each child under 14. (This leave is available to both permanent and temporary residents of Estonia, including foreigners).
Spain
Spain is highest rated in the Unicef child environment ranking, particularly for low levels of child illness due to air or water pollution. Despite the fact that the overall provision in terms of social, educational and healthcare services is weaker, according to Unicef data, Spanish child well-being is particularly high: the country ranks third in child mental well-being and fourth in basic academic and social skills. It is on a par with the Netherlands in terms of how many children claim they easily make friends (81%), while the adolescent suicide rate is among the lowest among wealthy countries and less than a third of the rates in the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.
This comes as no surprise to Lorie Zaino, who moved to Madrid from Chicago 15 years ago. She is the mother of a young child and says that one of the most refreshing aspects of life in Spain is how much the culture accepts children. “It is really socially acceptable here to take your child everywhere – both to restaurants and bars. It is perfectly normal to see families with small children walking around the city at midnight,” she says. “It reduces the pressure to keep children quiet and subdued so as not to disturb other people. In Spain, no one worries about that. Everyone is happy and loud, and simply enjoys the time spent together as a family.”
Then there is parental leave: in Spain, both mothers and fathers receive 16 weeks of leave, which is paid at 100% of their salary (self-employed persons are also eligible for this), and after that, the mother can go on unpaid leave for up to three years or reduce her working hours. These options are available to all legal residents registered in the Spanish social security system who have made social contributions for at least 180 days in the last seven years. Like in the other listed countries, this country also does not have ideal conditions – a particularly large problem is the lack of accessible childcare services. In Spain, 33% of parents say they wish there were more, which is the highest rate among all affluent countries. It is clear that the country has much to offer families.
Finland
Finland, which ranks fifth in Unicef's latest report, is particularly well-rated in two out of three categories – first place in “the world of the child” (which looks at how the environment directly affects children, such as air quality) and second place in “the world around the child” (which looks at environmental elements the child comes into contact with, such as schools, traffic hazards and green space).
Finland is one of the world's top-performing countries in child literacy and mathematics. Parents particularly value the relationships with their children's school staff. In Finland, the mortality rate for children aged 5-14 is one of the lowest in the world (50% lower than in the USA). The country has generous parental leave, including eight weeks of paid maternity leave, and 14 months of paid parental leave that can be shared between parents. There is also additional childcare leave, which can be used until the child turns three. Legal residents of Finland who have been insured in the health system in Finland or another Nordic country, EU or EEA member state for at least 180 days before the birth of the child are eligible for this leave.
Hadley Dean (Hadley Dean) is a father of five from the UK who has lived with his family in Poland, the Czech Republic and Finland. He says that the family has lived in Finland for the second time, and they really like it there. One of the benefits is the amount of green space in Helsinki (Finland has the most green space per capita of any wealthy country). H. Dean’s family likes more than just the accessibility of parks. “Parks in Finland are very untouched, very natural. They are like a natural forest that comes right into the very centre of the city,” says H. Dean. “There is a well-known link between spending time in nature and not suffering from anxiety and depression, so that is very positive.”
What about the dark and cold Finnish winters? That is a price worth paying, says H. Dean. “You just get used to it – you dress appropriately when going out, wear winter boots, and you also make the most of it all. Conversely, the summers are amazing because the sun shines for 22 hours a day.”
Netherlands
At the top of the Unicef overall child well-being list is the Netherlands, which has performed particularly well in terms of child mental health (it is in first place) and skills (3rd place). Nine out of ten 15-year-olds say their life satisfaction is high, which is the best result of all countries surveyed by Unicef, while eight out of ten children say they easily make friends.
Part of the success is linked to the culture, explains Olga Mecking (Olga Mecking), a mother of three who has lived in the Netherlands for 13 years and is the author of the book “Dutch Parenting: The art of doing nothing”. “There is talk about how Americans try to teach everyone to be exceptional. In the Netherlands, there is a saying: ‘Just be normal, that’s crazy enough’.” She emphasises that the mindset is important, which provides less pressure in childhood, adding that a lot of emphasis is placed on socialising, with clubs, societies and community activities being especially common.
Olga Mecking believes that Dutch families and children are also happy because of structural conditions. “Dutch parenting is not possible without the Dutch welfare system,” she pointed out. “The Netherlands really offers great support to parents.” One example is the Dutch family leave policy (available to anyone who legally lives and works in the Netherlands), which includes at least 16 weeks of mandatory, fully paid maternity leave and up to six weeks of paid paternity leave, as well as unpaid parental leave that can be used until the child is eight years old.