Best Countries in Europe to Raise a Child
Top Countries in Europe for Child Rearing
The best European countries for raising children foster an environment conducive to positive health and wellbeing, high educational attainment rates, and lower prevalence of harmful behaviours such as drinking, drug use and smoking amongst young people. With this in mind, our scoring system uses relevant publicly-available data to rank each country across several categories. Lower scores indicate better locations for kids to grow up.
1. Sweden
Sweden ranked as the best country for raising children, standing out for the education of their children (ranking #4 in this category with particularly strong results for English language skills). For example, Sweden is the most proficient in English of non-English speaking countries and 100% of children learn English in secondary school. Sweden also posted the lowest smoking rates amongst young people aged 15 to 24, has the cleanest air (tied with Finland) and placed an impressive 5th for happiness.
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| Overall | 1 |
| Health & Safety | 13 |
| Smoking, Alcohol & Drugs | 4 |
| Education | 4 |
2. Luxembourg
Luxembourg shines as a great place for children to grow up healthy and safe. For example, Luxembourg had top ten results for sufficient exercise, good air quality and happiness, and the best measles vaccination rate (99% of children have a jab). The percentage of young people doing drugs is relatively low (especially MDMA and amphetamines). Finally, Luxembourg educates their young people well (34% receive a tertiary degree). However, only 38% of young adults eat fruit each day (with 46% eating vegetables each day).
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| Overall | 2 |
| Health & Safety | 1 |
| Smoking, Alcohol & Drugs | 12 |
| Education | 9 |
3. Poland
Poland ranked as the 3rd best European country for raising kids, standing out for having a lower proportion of young people who smoke and drink. For example, 81% of 15 to 24 year olds are non smokers, the 5th best in the group. Poland ranked 3rd best in terms of drinking, with only 13% of 15 to 24 year olds drinking daily or weekly. Young people also have a healthy diet, with 55% eating fruit and 51% eating vegetables each per day.
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| Overall | 3 |
| Health & Safety | 11 |
| Smoking, Alcohol & Drugs | 3 |
| Education | 9 |
Summary of Top Countries for Kids in Europe
Below are the 29 countries in Europe ranked from best to worst for raising children, with scores across health & safety, use of harmful substances and education. Sweden topped the charts, with particular strength in terms of child education and lower use of harmful substances. Lower scores are better.
| Rank | Country | Positive Health & Safety | Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking | Education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 13 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | Luxembourg | 1 | 12 | 9 |
| 3 | Poland | 11 | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Norway | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| 5 | Spain | 4 | 13 | 11 |
| 6 | Denmark | 7 | 21 | 1 |
| 6 | Finland | 5 | 22 | 2 |
| 8 | Austria | 2 | 27 | 3 |
| 9 | Lithuania | 15 | 8 | 11 |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 17 | 14 | 4 |
| 10 | Romania | 21 | 1 | 13 |
| 12 | Slovenia | 11 | 15 | 13 |
| 13 | Estonia | 8 | 26 | 6 |
| 14 | Belgium | 9 | 10 | 22 |
| 15 | Portugal | 10 | 5 | 27 |
| 16 | Cyprus | 29 | 7 | 8 |
| 17 | Netherlands | 13 | 18 | 17 |
| 18 | Turkey | 23 | 2 | 24 |
| 19 | Greece | 20 | 10 | 23 |
| 20 | Czechia | 6 | 29 | 21 |
| 21 | Croatia | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 22 | Ireland | 26 | 27 | 6 |
| 22 | Germany | 19 | 25 | 15 |
| 22 | Italy | 24 | 9 | 26 |
| 25 | Latvia | 26 | 16 | 19 |
| 25 | France | 24 | 22 | 15 |
| 27 | Hungary | 16 | 22 | 25 |
| 28 | Slovakia | 22 | 16 | 29 |
| 29 | Bulgaria | 26 | 19 | 28 |
Discussion of Categories
This study includes a wide variety of data in order to characterise each country's environment from the perspective of a child's wellbeing and development. We categorise this data into three groups: health & safety, exposure to harmful substances (i.e., alcohol, drugs and smoking) and education. Each score is based on a country's rank across these categories.
Positive Health & Safety
The Health & Safety category combines many wide-ranging factors such as levels of physical exercise, vaccination coverage, air quality, consumption of fruits and vegetables, obesity levels and metrics for happiness and safety. These data points give an indication of the relative strength of a country's environment when it comes to raising a healthy and happy child.
| Rank | Country | Sufficient Physical Exercise | Measles Vaccination | Air Quality (PM2.5 Concentration) | Fruit & Veg Consumption | Obesity | Happiness Rank | Safety Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxembourg | 27% | 99% | 10.2 | 42% | 2.8% | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | Austria | 17% | 96% | 12.4 | 48% | 2.8% | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | Norway | n/a | 96% | 7 | 41% | 2.8% | 2 | 18 |
| 4 | Spain | 24% | 97% | 9.5 | 39% | 2.0% | 14 | 15 |
| 5 | Finland | 26% | 94% | 5.9 | 38% | 4.7% | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Czechia | 20% | 97% | 15.1 | 42% | 2.1% | 12 | 7 |
| 7 | Denmark | 14% | 97% | 10.1 | 41% | 4.4% | 3 | 5 |
| 8 | Estonia | 16% | 93% | 6.7 | 45% | 2.7% | 23 | 1 |
| 9 | Belgium | 20% | 96% | 12.9 | 53% | 3.0% | 9 | 24 |
| 10 | Portugal | 25% | 98% | 7.9 | 45% | 4.6% | 26 | 14 |
| 11 | Slovenia | 79% | 93% | 15.8 | 48% | 3.6% | 19 | 3 |
| 11 | Poland | 24% | 94% | 20.5 | 53% | 2.5% | 16 | 13 |
| 13 | Sweden | 15% | 97% | 5.9 | 45% | 4.3% | 5 | 29 |
| 13 | Netherlands | 31% | 93% | 12.1 | 25% | 3.1% | 4 | 9 |
| 15 | Lithuania | 10% | 94% | 11.5 | 50% | 1.3% | 18 | 19 |
| 16 | Hungary | 42% | 99% | 15.6 | 45% | 5.0% | 24 | 17 |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 27% | 92% | 10.5 | 57% | 5.7% | 11 | 25 |
| 18 | Croatia | 19% | 89% | 17 | 58% | 1.3% | 28 | 6 |
| 19 | Germany | 16% | 97% | 11.7 | 32% | 3.4% | 8 | 16 |
| 20 | Greece | 13% | 97% | 15.7 | 50% | 2.3% | 27 | 21 |
| 21 | Romania | 23% | 87% | 14.3 | 32% | 0.9% | 20 | 8 |
| 22 | Slovakia | 10% | 96% | 17.5 | 43% | 2.8% | 15 | 12 |
| 23 | Turkey | n/a | 96% | 42 | 49% | 2.4% | 25 | 23 |
| 24 | Italy | 11% | 92% | 15.3 | 52% | 2.1% | 17 | 27 |
| 24 | France | 32% | 90% | 11.6 | 40% | 3.2% | 13 | 28 |
| 26 | Bulgaria | 33% | 94% | 18.8 | 37% | 1.5% | 29 | 22 |
| 26 | Latvia | 19% | 96% | 12.7 | 38% | 3.3% | 21 | 20 |
| 26 | Ireland | 16% | 92% | 8.3 | 44% | 6.7% | 7 | 26 |
| 29 | Cyprus | 90% | 16.8 | 44% | 3.6% | 22 | 11 |
Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking
The vices category considers the percentage of young people who use harmful substances like alcohol, smoking and drugs (marijuana, MDMA, amphetamines and cocaine). As peer pressure is a significant factor for children and young adults, these metrics can give an indication of the likelihood a young person is influenced to engage in harmful behaviour.
| Rank | Country | Smoking | Drinking | Drug Use | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occasional or Daily | Intoxicated in Past 12 Months | Drinks Daily or Weekly | Alcohol Use Disorder | Marijuana | MDMA | Amphetamines | Cocaine | ||
| 1 | Romania | 18% | 23% | 6% | 1.2% | 6% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2 | Turkey | 23% | n/a | 2% | 0.6% | 0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | n/a |
| 3 | Poland | 19% | 26% | 13% | 0.9% | 10% | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 4 | Sweden | 17% | 23% | 17% | 1.3% | 7% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 5 | Portugal | 22% | 22% | 21% | 1.2% | 8% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 6 | Norway | 17% | 19% | 14% | 1.1% | 9% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| 7 | Cyprus | 24% | 23% | 14% | 1.1% | 4% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 8 | Lithuania | 20% | 30% | 9% | 2.3% | 6% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| 9 | Italy | 21% | 27% | 24% | 0.5% | 21% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 1.9% |
| 10 | Greece | 25% | 28% | 29% | 1.1% | 5% | 0.4% | n/a | 0.6% |
| 10 | Belgium | 22% | 23% | 42% | 1.3% | 10% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| 12 | Luxembourg | 23% | n/a | 28% | 1.1% | 10% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 13 | Spain | 22% | 41% | 24% | 1.0% | 17% | 1.3% | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| 14 | United Kingdom | 18% | n/a | 34% | 1.4% | 12% | 2.6% | 0.7% | 4.0% |
| 15 | Slovenia | 25% | 35% | 24% | 1.4% | 10% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| 16 | Latvia | 31% | 28% | 10% | 2.4% | 10% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| 16 | Slovakia | 30% | 32% | 13% | 1.8% | 9% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.3% |
| 18 | Netherlands | 29% | 28% | 0.7% | 16% | 7.4% | 3.6% | 3.7% | |
| 19 | Bulgaria | 30% | 36% | 14% | 1.4% | 10% | 3.1% | 1.8% | 0.5% |
| 20 | Croatia | 26% | 36% | 9% | 1.4% | 16% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| 21 | Denmark | 23% | 55% | 28% | 1.1% | 15% | 1.5% | 1.4% | 3.9% |
| 22 | France | 34% | 29% | n/a | 1.1% | 22% | 2.3% | 0.7% | 2.4% |
| 22 | Finland | 25% | 32% | 23% | 1.9% | 14% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 1.0% |
| 22 | Hungary | 30% | 43% | 14% | 1.4% | 4% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
| 25 | Germany | 24% | n/a | 34% | 1.4% | 13% | 1.3% | 1.9% | 1.2% |
| 26 | Estonia | 28% | 26% | 18% | 2.4% | 14% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 1.3% |
| 27 | Ireland | 30% | 30% | 31% | 1.9% | 14% | 4.4% | 0.6% | 2.9% |
| 27 | Austria | 36% | 43% | 31% | 1.7% | 14% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.4% |
| 29 | Czechia | 29% | 39% | 35% | 1.4% | 19% | 4.1% | 1.7% | 0.7% |
Education
The education category includes measures such as the percentage of the population that has completed some form of tertiary education, as well as English language and computer skills. These data points are meant to quantify the preparedness of children to enter the world with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in today's competitive, global job market.
| Rank | Country | Educational Attainment | Computer Skills | English Language | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tertiary | Have written computer code | Use basic arithmetic formulae in a spreadsheet | Taught in Secondary School | Proficiency Rank | ||
| 1 | Denmark | 34% | 28% | 87% | 100% | 7 |
| 2 | Finland | 34% | 22% | 64% | 99.4% | 9 |
| 3 | Austria | 27% | 23% | 75% | 99.9% | 13 |
| 4 | Sweden | 32% | 20% | 36% | 100% | 3 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 32% | 22% | 72% | 100% | 1 |
| 6 | Ireland | 34% | 10% | 40% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 6 | Estonia | 38% | 21% | 83% | 95.8% | n/a |
| 8 | Cyprus | 36% | 4% | 62% | 99.9% | n/a |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 34% | 23% | 59% | 71.5% | 8 |
| 9 | Poland | 25% | 6% | 70% | 98.2% | 14 |
| 11 | Lithuania | 34% | 16% | 91% | 97.2% | 23 |
| 11 | Spain | 30% | 16% | 62% | 100% | 24 |
| 13 | Slovenia | 27% | 8% | 89% | 98.5% | 10 |
| 13 | Romania | 15% | 2% | 35% | 99.9% | 15 |
| 15 | France | 29% | 20% | 81% | 99.3% | 26 |
| 15 | Germany | 26% | 13% | 59% | 100.0% | 11 |
| 17 | Norway | 36% | 16% | 91% | 95.2% | 6 |
| 17 | Netherlands | 31% | 18% | 49% | 93.9% | 5 |
| 19 | Latvia | 31% | 9% | 82% | 97.3% | n/a |
| 20 | Croatia | 18% | 23% | 64% | 97.9% | 16 |
| 21 | Czechia | 20% | 9% | 78% | 97.9% | 18 |
| 22 | Belgium | 33% | 7% | 47% | 77.6% | 12 |
| 23 | Greece | 21% | 12% | 59% | 99.5% | 20 |
| 24 | Turkey | 16% | 4% | 36% | n/a | 27 |
| 25 | Hungary | 21% | 12% | 60% | 77.7% | 19 |
| 26 | Italy | 14% | 11% | 61% | 99.6% | 25 |
| 27 | Portugal | 19% | 24% | 76% | 95.0% | 17 |
| 28 | Bulgaria | 25% | 2% | 55% | 89.4% | 22 |
| 29 | Slovakia | 19% | 16% | 72% | 97.0% | 21 |
Methodology
We focused our data collection on general health, environmental and lifestyle factors, such as obesity, exercise, healthy eating, drinking/smoking/drug use and education rates, with a focus on metrics that contribute to a child's wellbeing and development. We gathered the data from several reputable sources including the World Health Organization (WHO), Eurostat and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Using these data sets, we first ranked the 29 European countries based on each metric and calculated an average ranking for each category. The composite score is an equally weighted average of each category's score. A lower score indicates a better rank. With this information we narrowed down the list of 50 countries to arrive at the top countries in Europe for raising kids.
Health & Safety data include general indicators of a country's positive environment for children. We included data on sufficient physical exercise (for 11+ years old), measles vaccination rates, air quality (PM2.5 Concentration), fruit & vegetable consumption (% aged 15 - 24 consuming fruit and veg every day), obesity rates (15 - 19 years old), plus ranks from the World Happiness Report (which reflects metrics related to GDP, social support, healthy life expectancy, generosity, freedom to make life choices, etc.) and a general safety rank. Together, these factors gave us a broad picture of the general environment for children in each country.
Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Use data include the percentage of older children/young adults who use cigarettes, drink and use drugs. To measure drug use we included data on cannabis, MDMA, amphetamines and cocaine. For alcohol use, we incorporated data on the percentage who have been intoxicated in the past 12 months, who suffer from an alcohol use disorder and who drink either daily or weekly.
Education data relate to how well a country prepares its children to compete in a global job market in which English language and computer skills are critical.
Sources
Health & Safety
- WHO: Measles vaccination rates, air quality and measure of sufficient physical activity
- Eurostat: Obesity rates, fruit and vegetable consumption
- World Happiness Report: Happiness rank
- Numbeo: Safety rank
Smoking, Alcohol and Drug Use
- Eurostat: Smoking rates and frequency of alcohol consumption in 15 to 24 year olds
- ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs): Frequency of intoxication during the last 12 months in 15 to 16 year olds
- GHDx (Global Health Data Exchange): Rate of alcohol use disorders in 15 to 19 year olds
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction: Drug use rates
Education
- OECD: Tertiary education attainment rates
- Eurostat: % of Individuals who have written code in a programming language, % of individuals who have used basic arithmetic formulae to add, subtract, multiply or divide figures in a spreadsheet and prevalence of English teaching in secondary schools
- Education First: English language proficiency