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Which is the best country to raise a family, according to UNICEF and OECD data?
5 min read · Updated
Parents who ask which country is best for raising a family are really asking several questions at once. How are children doing? How much do parents get in leave and childcare? How much does the state spend? Different datasets answer each of these, and they do not agree. This guide reads the three most useful open sources side by side: UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 19 on children's outcomes, UNICEF Report Card 15 on family-friendly policies, and the OECD's public spending data on families.
We read all sources in October 2026. The result is a map of strengths and trade-offs, not a verdict. We give no advice on visas, residence, work, tax or schooling; those are set by each government and change. For a Europe-only look at the child-outcome data, see best European countries for kids.
Outcomes, policies and spending: three separate questions
UNICEF's Report Card 19 (2025) compares 43 OECD and EU countries on how children are doing. It uses six indicators grouped into mental well-being, physical health and skills, and ranks 36 countries overall. Report Card 15 (2019) looks instead at policy, using four indicators for 41 high- and middle-income countries: paid leave for mothers, paid leave reserved for fathers, and the share of children in childcare or preschool under age three and from age three to school age.
The OECD adds a third view, public money. Its Social Expenditure Database records what governments spend on family benefits and services as a share of gross domestic product, so it contains no currency amounts and can be compared across countries. None of the three is a measure of how happy a family will be, and each leaves out the others' territory.
“Sweden, Norway and Iceland are the three most family-friendly countries for which we have complete data.”
Who leads on children's mental health, bodies and skills
Overall, the Netherlands, Denmark and France are first to third in Report Card 19, followed by Portugal and Ireland. The ranking balances all six indicators equally. Looking at each dimension separately gives a very different set of leaders, which is the strongest argument against a single best country.
The Netherlands is first for mental well-being, Portugal second and Denmark third. Japan is first for physical health, ahead of France and Denmark. Ireland is first for skills, ahead of Slovenia, Croatia and the Republic of Korea. Belgium also reaches fifth place for skills and eighth for physical health, but is not ranked overall because data on life satisfaction were missing.
| Dimension | First to fifth |
|---|---|
| Overall league table | Netherlands, Denmark, France, Portugal, Ireland |
| Mental well-being | Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, Romania |
| Physical health | Japan, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Czechia |
| Skills | Ireland, Slovenia, Croatia, Republic of Korea, Belgium |
Paid leave and childcare: UNICEF's 2019 family-policy table
Report Card 15 asked a narrower question: which rich countries make it easier for parents to combine work and care? Its four indicators were the duration of paid leave available to mothers, the duration reserved specifically for fathers, and childcare enrolment for the under-threes and for children from three to school age. Sweden, Norway and Iceland came out as the three most family-friendly countries with complete data, and Cyprus, Greece and Switzerland occupied the bottom three places.
The report also states its limits. Ten of the 41 countries lacked enough data on childcare enrolment to be ranked, and UNICEF says there was not enough up-to-date information to compare the quality of childcare centres, or breastfeeding rates and policies. It was published in June 2019, so it describes the policy landscape of several years ago. Policies have changed since, and we have not checked every country's current rules.
Public spending on families, and why it does not predict the table
In the OECD's latest data, which run from 2021 to 2023 depending on the country, the average across member countries is 2.31 per cent of GDP on family benefits and services, and 0.72 per cent on early childhood education and care. Iceland spends the most of the countries we show (3.82 per cent), followed by Sweden (3.32), Denmark (3.15) and Finland (3.09); Poland and Luxembourg, not shown, also spend more than 3 per cent.
The link to outcomes is loose. The Netherlands is first in UNICEF's 2025 table with a spending share of 1.62, well below the average, and Portugal and Ireland are fourth and fifth with 1.32 and 1.33. Iceland, the biggest spender, is 22nd, and Germany, at 2.65, is 25th. Spending measures what governments choose to pay for; it does not measure whether children are doing well, and the two can diverge because of health systems, education design, culture and income levels that the figures do not capture.
| Country | UNICEF overall rank, 2025 | Family spending, % of GDP | Early childhood education and care, % of GDP | Latest year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1 | 1.62 | 0.76 | 2021 |
| Denmark | 2 | 3.15 | 1.19 | 2021 |
| France | 3 | 2.63 | 1.26 | 2022 |
| Portugal | 4 | 1.32 | 0.39 | 2021 |
| Ireland | 5 | 1.33 | 0.28 | 2021 |
| Switzerland | 6 | 1.68 | 0.42 | 2021 |
| Spain | 7 | 1.48 | 0.57 | 2021 |
| Sweden | 10 | 3.32 | 1.49 | 2021 |
| Japan | 14 | 1.98 | 0.96 | 2022 |
| Finland | 17 | 3.09 | 1.28 | 2021 |
| Canada | 19 | 1.57 | 0.36 | 2022 |
| Iceland | 22 | 3.82 | 2.03 | 2021 |
| Germany | 25 | 2.65 | 0.81 | 2021 |
| New Zealand | 32 | 2.52 | 0.87 | 2022 |
Japan, Korea, Canada, New Zealand and the Americas
Outside Europe, the picture is more uneven. Japan is 14th overall and first for physical health, but 32nd for mental well-being. The Republic of Korea is 27th overall, with fourth place for skills and 34th for mental well-being. Canada is 19th (mental well-being 23rd, physical health 24th, skills 21st) and New Zealand 32nd, with 36th place for mental well-being.
Chile (36th), Mexico (34th), Colombia (33rd) and Costa Rica (31st) fill the lower places, while Australia, Israel and the United States could not be ranked overall for lack of life satisfaction data. Where partial ranks exist the United States is 38th for physical health and Australia 33rd. Public spending on families is lowest in the dataset for Türkiye (0.45 per cent of GDP), Mexico (0.55) and the United States (0.60).
Schooling, longevity and peacefulness as background
Three further indicators give context without ranking anything. UNDP's 2025 table shows expected years of schooling for a child starting school today: 19.3 in New Zealand, 19.2 in Ireland, 19.0 in Sweden, 18.7 in Denmark and 18.6 in the Netherlands, against 15.5 in Japan and 15.9 in Canada. Life expectancy at birth is 84.7 years in Japan, 84.3 in the Republic of Korea and 79.3 in the United States.
The Global Peace Index 2026 puts New Zealand second in the world, Ireland fifth, Japan tenth, Denmark 11th and Canada 14th. The Republic of Korea is 57th and France 99th. These are national measures of conflict, militarisation and violence, so they are context for safety, not a statement about any school or street. Notice how little they line up with the child well-being table: France is third there and 99th here.
Reading the evidence without a verdict
Three cautions apply. Rank is relative: a country in the top third may still have room to improve, as UNICEF stresses. National averages hide big gaps between regions, income groups and migrant households. And none of these sources measures what parents most often weigh: housing, working hours, the quality of a particular school, extended family nearby or the language children will grow up in.
If you are weighing a move, treat the data as a way of forming questions. Which part of the system matters most to your family: leave, childcare, schools or health? Then read the official government sites for that country, and the practical side of settling in, which our serviced apartments for relocation guide covers. We give no immigration, tax or legal advice.
Trying a place for a month before you commit
Families considering a move sometimes spend a few weeks in a place first. An apartment-style stay with a separate bedroom, a kitchen and laundry makes that practical, and travelling with kids and aparthotels explains how to choose a layout. For longer stays, long-term serviced apartments covers what to check. We make no claim about any property.
Hubs in the countries discussed include Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tokyo, Toronto and Auckland. You can narrow to family options in Toronto or family options in Tokyo. For a Europe-wide comparison, see best countries to live in Europe.
Frequently asked questions
Which country ranks first for children's well-being?
The Netherlands, in UNICEF's Report Card 19 (2025), followed by Denmark and France. The ranking covers 36 OECD and EU countries with complete data and balances mental well-being, physical health and skills equally.
Which countries have the most family-friendly policies?
In UNICEF's 2019 report, Sweden, Norway and Iceland were the three most family-friendly of the countries with complete data, on paid leave and childcare. Cyprus, Greece and Switzerland were at the bottom. Policies have since changed.
Does spending more on families produce better outcomes?
Not in a simple way. The Netherlands is first for child well-being with spending of 1.62 per cent of GDP, below the OECD average of 2.31, while Iceland spends 3.82 per cent and is 22nd. Spending and outcomes diverge for many reasons.
Where is the United States on these measures?
It could not be ranked overall in Report Card 19 because of missing life satisfaction data. It is 38th for physical health and 29th for skills, and its public spending on families is 0.60 per cent of GDP in the OECD data.
Is this guide advice about moving abroad with children?
No. It describes published data and gives no advice on visas, residence, work, tax or schooling. Use official government sites and, for a Europe-focused view of the child data, see best European countries for kids.
Stays and pages mentioned in this guide
Keep reading
- Work-Life Balance by Country: What OECD Data Shows
How working hours, leisure time and paid leave differ across OECD countries, using OECD hours-worked and time-use data, and how to read them if you plan to live abroad.
- Aparthotel Check In: Times, Late Arrival, Self Check-In
How aparthotel check in works: typical times, what to bring, what to do about a late arrival or closed reception, and how self check-in and key access operate.
- Compare Aparthotel Prices: A Like-for-Like Checklist
How to compare aparthotel prices fairly: check taxes and fees, cancellation terms, cleaning, minimum nights and apartment size so two rates are really comparable.
- European Countries for English Speakers: A Data Guide
Which European countries suit English speakers, read from EF English Proficiency Index 2025, official-language status, UNDP and World Bank data, and Eurostat language-skills figures.
Sources
- UNICEF Innocenti: Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World (Report Card 19)
- UNICEF Innocenti: Are the world's richest countries family friendly? (Report Card 15)
- UNICEF Innocenti Report Card 19 (PDF, 2025)
- OECD Social Expenditure Database: public expenditure on family (per cent of GDP)
- UNDP HDR 2025 composite indices complete time series (CSV)
- Institute for Economics & Peace: Global Peace Index 2026 report
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