A recent ranking put together by the travel website Enjoy Travel has ranked the Netherlands as the ninth-best country in the world when it comes to raising a family. 

Which countries offer the best quality of life for families?

Enjoy Travel points out that, as priorities change and the cost of living rises after the coronavirus pandemic, families around the world are reevaluating their choices, and are increasingly on the hunt for countries and neighbourhoods with “easy and affordable access to education and childcare, low crime rates and family-friendly policies to help support a growing family.”

In an attempt to uncover the countries that offer the best quality of life for international families, Enjoy Travel’s study assessed over 100 countries across the globe, each receiving a score in the following six categories: 

• Global Safety Index 
• Healthcare 
• Median salary as calculated by the OECD
• The cost of renting a house or apartment
• United Nations Education Index
• The right to and length of parental leave

While - perhaps unsurprisingly - Nordic countries dominated the top five, a number of countries across Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland, managed to place in the top 25. 

The Netherlands one of the best countries in the world for families

The Netherlands achieved a perfectly respectable ninth place, scoring 115 out of a possible 125. The country was praised for the overall happiness of children, as well as the Dutch education system, which Enjoy Travel says is “tailored to the individual needs and backgrounds of the pupils.”

The amount of available parental leave for fathers and partners was also highlighted as one of the country’s strengths, however, overall safety is a real weak point, as the Netherlands’ score in the Global Safety Index was lower than that of neighbouring countries.

It’s not the first time that the Netherlands has been ranked as one of the best countries in which to raise a family; in 2020, a Unicef report found that the Netherlands was the best country in the world for child well-being, while a study carried out by Asher & Lyric ranked the Netherlands as the 11th best country in the world to raise a family.

Top 10 countries in the world for raising a family 

According to the ranking, the top 10 countries for raising a family are: 

1. Norway
2. Singapore
3. Denmark
4. Iceland
5. Finland
6. Poland
7. Germany
8. New Zealand
9. The Netherlands
10. Czechia

For more information about the study, and to see how other countries ranked, visit Enjoy Travel’s website.

Thumb: OlenaPalaguta via Shutterstock.com.