Where To Go When You're Expecting
There are many things to consider when planning to start a family. The environment your children grow up in plays a crucial role in shaping their development. Some countries offer amazing support for children and families through healthcare, education, and social services, while others present more challenges. Let's dive into the best and worst countries for raising a family.
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1. Sweden
Sweden is considered the best country to raise a family thanks to its generous social services. Both parents get 480 days of paid parental leave after their baby is born and they get an allowance to help with the costs of raising a child. Plus, the country has outstanding free health care and schooling.
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2. Norway
Like Sweden, parents in Norway are given ample parental leave of 49 weeks fully paid or 59 at 80 percent pay. What’s more, Norway has a specific culture around raising kids that allows children a lot of freedom to explore and learn at their own pace.
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3. Finland
Finland boasts many benefits for raising a family including safety, affordability, and top-tier universal health care. The country offers plenty of time off for new parents and a generous child benefit. The infant mortality rate in Finland is one of the lowest in the world.
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4. Denmark
Scandinavia is clearly doing something right–Denmark, like the other Nordic countries, offers a lot of time off to new parents and even gives the mother-to-be a whole month off before her due date. The country is considered the happiest in the world and offers excellent free health care, and education, including university.
5. Netherlands
The Netherlands is highly regarded when it comes to raising kids because of its excellent education system, free health care, and safety. Parents are entitled to a whole 26 weeks of paid leave after giving birth.
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6. Switzerland
Switzerland has one of the top education systems worldwide making it rank highly as a place to raise a family. It also boasts a top quality of life, is safe, and clean, and has a culture that emphasizes outdoor activity.
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7. Canada
Canada is considered an excellent place to raise a family due to its world-class education system, free health care, child allowance for parents, and friendly communities. Its major cities, most notably Toronto, are praised for their cultural diversity which helps children grow a well-rounded perspective.
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8. Australia
Among the safest countries in the world, Australia is touted as one of the best places to raise children. The government has a wealth of programs in place designed to support families. What’s more, education and health care are free.
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9. New Zealand
Many of us associate New Zealand with beautiful, diverse landscapes–things we appreciate, and so do our kids. People in New Zealand enjoy an adventurous, high-quality lifestyle, a healthy work-life balance, and top-notch education.
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10. Austria
Austria is known for its cleanliness and organization. It’s a great country to raise a family thanks to its family-centric lifestyle, work-life balance, high quality of living, and great public schools. It also has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.
Now that we’ve covered the countries where families would be lucky to find themselves, let’s go over some of the worst to avoid raising kids in.
1. Mexico
Mexico is considered one of the worst places to raise a family based on its low safety, health care, education, and happiness ratings. Most people don’t enjoy a high quality of life because wages are low and there isn’t a good work-life balance.
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2. Venezuela
Although Venezuela is a naturally beautiful country with a vibrant culture, it’s plagued by poverty, food insecurity, poor health care, and violence. Services like water, electricity, and waste collection barely function and the country has some of the highest inflation rates in the world.
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3. Pakistan
Although Pakistan is a family-oriented country with a tight-knit family culture, children here are vulnerable to exploitation and violence. What’s more, there is a high risk of terrorism and the country doesn’t afford many rights to women and girls.
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4. Jamaica
The birthplace of reggae music may be known for its beautiful beaches, but problems in the country keep families at bay. It has the highest murder rate in the world, high poverty and unemployment, poor infrastructure, and low-quality education.
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5. Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a Balkan nation bordered by the Black Sea. Although it’s known for its spectacular mountainous terrain, it’s also one of the poorest countries in the EU. Wages are low and food insecurity is an issue for kids who often turn to crime and drug use in their adolescence.
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6. Afghanistan
Recently dubbed “the worst place to be born in the world” by a UNICEF report, Afghanistan is strife with hardships for young people. Extreme poverty, violence, and malnutrition lead to a high child mortality rate and kids are often forced into marriages.
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7. Niger
Niger is a large, desertous African country where living conditions are difficult, especially for kids. It’s one of the world’s poorest countries where children lack access to proper health care, sanitation, education, and food, and child trafficking is also rampant.
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8. Democratic Republic of Congo
Kids in the Democratic Republic of Congo are subject to extremely difficult living conditions. Militants commonly abduct and force kids into armed conflict. Other forms of child abuse are pervasive and kids often go hungry and don’t have access to education or health care.
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9. Slovakia
Slovakia is considered one of the worst European countries to raise a family, particularly in poverty-stricken Romani neighborhoods. This minority group is subject to harsh discrimination and isn’t allowed to attend regular schools. Child trafficking, labor, and abuse are also typical.
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10. Syria
It should come as no surprise that this war-torn nation is not a good place to raise a family. Children are regularly exposed to violence, and families are routinely displaced from their homes and forced into shelters where food, water, and health care are scarce.
