These Are the 10 Best Cities Worldwide for Expectant Parents
A new study from health insurance platform William-Russell is looking into the best cities in the world for expectant parents. According to the study, four of out the 10 cities are located in Japan. This is unsurprising, as it was recently found to be one of the best countries to raise a child.
The study looked at data from 50 global countries and several factors to determine its rankings. These included paid parental leave, access to childhood education and care services, fertility rates, safety indexes, pollution indexes and healthcare indexes. The data was taken from Organisation for Economic C-Operation and Development (OECD) countries—these are countries that help economic, social and environmental policy development on a global level—as well as Numbeo, a database for global costs of living.
The study found that Helsinki, Finland had the lowest pollution index and was the best city for paid parental leave, with 170 weeks of combined leave. Reykjavík, Iceland was found to be the best city for access to early childhood education and care services, with close to 60 percent of kids participating. The best city for childcare costs was Berlin, Germany, while the best city for safety was Kyoto, Japan.
According to the data, the top 10 cities worldwide for expectant parents were found to be:
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- Kyoto, Japan,
- Tallinn, Estonia
- Helsinki, Finland,
- Fukuoka, Japan
- Oslo, Norway
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Chiba, Japan,
- Tokyo, Japan
- Seoul, South Korea
Remember, while the survey took into account some key factors that go into becoming a new parent, it doesn’t paint a complete picture. It doesn’t take into account, for example, access to fertility treatments, adoption rates, labor and delivery experiences and more. To view the full list and rankings, click here.
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