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- Author, Amanda Ruggeri
- Rolle, BBC Travel
1 hour ago
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For those considering moving, the ranking of the countries with the best quality of life in the world may be helpful. But with children in tow, there are more factors to consider than average income or economic stability, for example.
You might want to find out about the health or happiness of local children, the quality of education, maternity/paternity leave policies, or even which countries have the most green spaces and playgrounds.
It is on the basis of such factors that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) creates its wellbeing newsletters.
It’s important to note that this ranking only looks at the richest countries in the world and not all data is of equal interest to foreign families.
But her conclusions help paint a revealing picture of what it’s really like to raise children in different countries around the world.
We drew on some of these surveys to try to answer the main question for any family considering emigration: what are the best countries to raise or have a child in?
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Japan is one of the safest countries for families, and children often go to school alone.
Japan
In the Unicef 2020 analysis of child wellbeing, Japan ranks first in physical health, which measures child mortality and obesity.
And in the most recent UNICEF bulletin from 2022, which specifically analyzes the environment in which children grow up, the Asian country ranks second in the “world around the child” a category that includes aspects such as urban green spaces and road safety.
Japan also has the lowest rate of childhood obesity, low infant mortality, and extremely low levels of air or water pollution affecting children.
Also, it is one of the safest countries for families, not only in terms of traffic accidents. Japan’s overall homicide rate is the lowest of any country analyzed by UNICEF: 0.2 per 100,000, which is a fraction of the US (5.3), Canada (1.8), or even Australia (0.8).
The safety factor doesn’t just mean families can relax a little. According to Mami McCagg, who is originally from Tokyo but currently lives in London, it also has a big impact on the freedom children can enjoy.
“Children go to school alone from the age of six. If they can’t walk, they take the bus or train,” she says.
“Even in the middle of Tokyo, children are running around and going to school by themselves. This is completely normal because it is actually safe. No one worries too much about their kids because we don’t have to.”
In addition to top marks in health and safety, Japan also has one of the best education systems in the world, ranking 12th out of 76 countries and regions that Unicef supports in its data, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The country has generous paid parental leave, giving each working parent around 12 months although the country is working to encourage fathers in particular to take it.
Interestingly, despite the many benefits Japan has to offer families, don’t be surprised if locals themselves seem critical, McCagg warns.
“You hear a lot of pessimism because we always hear about all the positive sides of other countries and compare them to Japan.”
“It’s also a cultural issue where you have to minimize something you identify with in order to appear humble. But I would say that Japan is a very good place to raise children,” he says.
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One of Estonia’s biggest attractions for families is the country’s education system.
Estonia
Although Estonia is not at the top of Unicef’s overall rankings, it ranks high in several important respects. Children are exposed to less air pollution, less noise pollution and fewer pesticides than in virtually any other affluent country.
The country has more urban green space than many other nations, including the US, Canada, Australia and the UK, and children are more likely to say they like neighborhood recreational spaces such as playgrounds.
Estonia also has the second lowest low birth weight rate of any rich country, which is generally considered a good indicator of the quality of prenatal care.
However, one of the biggest draws is probably the Estonian education system: children show better math, science and literacy skills than in any other country outside of Asia. Digital skills are also emphasized.
“Even in kindergarten there are robot classes, smart tablets and so on, all used within the framework of playbased learning,” says AnneMai Meesak, a project manager at the Estonian Education and Youth Council, who researches the early childhood education systems in the country.
However, the benefits of the system go beyond reading and robotics. A recent OECD report showed that, on average, a fiveyearold Estonian child is better at several socioemotional skills, including collaborating with other children and identifying emotions, than children in the United States and England.
They are also well above the OECD average for selfregulatory skills such as mental flexibility, working memory and impulse inhibition.
There’s also family leave: Estonia has one of the most generous policies of any country in the world, with 100 days of maternity leave and 30 days of paternity leave, followed by 475 days of paid parental leave that can be shared or used. parttime for each part of the couple until the child is three years old. Both parents can stay at home at the same time for up to 60 days and both will be paid as usual.
In addition, each parent receives 10 working days per year of paid parental leave for each child under the age of 14. This license is available to both permanent and temporary residents of Estonia, including foreigners.
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Spain does well when it comes to children’s environments and mental wellbeing.
Spain
Spain ranked highest in UNICEF’s Child Environment Index, with particularly low rates of child morbidity due to air or water pollution.
And although children in Spain generally have lower levels of social, educational and health services, they enjoy remarkably high levels of wellbeing, according to Unicef: the country ranks third for child and mental wellbeing and fourth for of primary care school and social skills.
Specifically, the number of children who say they make friends easily puts it on par with the Netherlands (81%), while the teen suicide rate is one of the lowest in rich countries — less than a third of the US Advise. , Canada , Australia or New Zealand.
No wonder for Lori Zaino, who moved to Madrid from Chicago 15 years ago. As a mother of one young child, she says one of the most refreshing aspects of living in Spain is the childfriendly culture.
“Here, it’s socially acceptable to take your kid everywhere to restaurants, bars… It’s totally normal to see a family with a young kid walking around at midnight,” she says.
“It takes a lot of pressure to keep the kids quiet and to themselves so they don’t bother other people. In Spain nobody cares. Everyone is kind of happy and loud and just enjoying family time, except at home )”
And then there’s parental leave: both mothers and fathers get 16 weeks of paid leave on full pay (freelancers are also eligible). After that, the mother can take up to three years of unpaid leave or reduce her workload.
These options are available to all legal residents who are registered with the Spanish social security system and have paid contributions for at least 180 days in the last seven years.
As with the other countries listed, the country isn’t perfect the lack of available childcare is a particularly big concern, with 33% of parents saying they would like more options available, the highest percentage of any rich country but it’s clear that Spain does has a lot to offer families.
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Families can easily keep in touch with nature in Finland as forests cover more than 70% of the territory
Finland
Finland, ranked fifth overall in UNICEF’s latest Bulletin, scores particularly well in two of the three categories number one in ‘The World of Children’ (which assesses how the environment directly affects children, such as air quality) and number two in the “world around the child” (which deals with elements of the environment with which a child interacts, such as schools, traffic obstacles and green spaces).
It is one of the top performers in the world in terms of children’s literacy and numeracy skills, and parents tend to have a high opinion of the relationship with the staff at their children’s school.
The mortality rate for children ages 5 to 14 is one of the lowest in the world, less than half that of the United States.
And the country also offers generous parental leave, including eight weeks of paid maternity leave, a further 14 months of paid parental leave shared between parents and additional childcare leave that can be requested until the child turns three.
Eligible persons are legal residents of Finland who have had health insurance there or in another country in the Nordic countries, the European Union or the European Economic Area for at least 180 days before the birth of the child.
Hadley Dean is a British father of five who has lived with his family in Poland, the Czech Republic and Finland. They are now spending a second season in Finland and they love living there.
One benefit is the abundance of parks and forests, even in the capital Helsinki (Finland has the most urban green space per capita of any wealthy country).
But not only the availability of trees pleases the family.
“The difference with Helsinki or Finland is that the parks are really very wild and very natural. They’re like a natural forest that stretches into the center of the city,” says Dean.
“There’s a known association between being in nature and not suffering from anxiety and depression, so that’s really positive.”
What about Finland’s cold, dark winters? That’s a price worth paying, according to Dean.
“You just get used to it — you dress appropriately, wear cleats on your shoes when you go out — and you make the best of it. And the summers are absolutely amazing because you have 22 hours of sunlight.”
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The Netherlands offers at least 16 weeks of compulsory, fully paid maternity leave and up to six weeks of paid paternity leave
Netherlands
The Netherlands tops Unicef’s overall list for child welfare. The country performs particularly well on children’s mental health (number one) and skills (number three).
Nine in 10 15yearolds say they are very satisfied with their life, the highest proportion of any country Unicef has surveyed, and eight in 10 say they make friends easily.
Part of it is cultural, explains Olga Mecking, a Polish mother of three who has lived in the Netherlands for 13 years and is the author of Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing (in literal translation).
“There’s this discourse about how Americans are trying to teach everyone to be extraordinary. There’s a saying here, ‘Just be normal, that’s crazy enough,'” he says. A mindset that she says makes for a less stressful childhood — although, as she wrote, that could be changing.
There’s also a strong emphasis on socializing, Mecking adds, with groups, clubs and community activities being fairly common.
But when Dutch families and children are happy, they believe it is also due to structural factors.
“Without the Dutch social system, there is no Dutch breeding,” she states.
“And the Netherlands really offers a lot of support to parents.
The family leave policy is an example of this. It includes at least 16 weeks of fully paid and compulsory maternity leave and up to six weeks of paid paternity leave, plus unpaid parental leave that can be taken until the child is eight years old. And it is available to everyone who legally lives and works in the Netherlands.
This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cd1ygrgwxw0o