Switzerland has been named one of the 25 best places in the world to raise a family. The study, conducted by Enjoy Travel, praised Swiss healthcare and salaries but criticised the alpine nation for its high cost of living and relatively short maternity leave.

25 best countries in the world to raise a family by Enjoy Travel

To create the ranking, the travel website compared 100 different countries around the world to see which areas were best to have and raise children. This was achieved by comparing each nation in the following categories:

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

Each country was given a score out of 20 in each category, with the exception of maternity and paternity leave, which because of its relevance to young families, was given a maximum score of 25. 

Switzerland the 23rd best place for families in 2023

In 2023, Switzerland was found to be one of the 25 best countries in the world to raise a family, placing 23rd with 100 points out of 150. The alpine nation found itself in good company, placing just in front of Australia and Slovakia while achieving the same number of points as neighbouring Austria.

“Between its clean air and high-quality living, it isn’t hard to see why Switzerland makes such an appealing place to live for families,” Enjoy Travel wrote. In particular, the country was praised for its excellent doctors and hospitals, with the company giving Swiss healthcare services a perfect score of 20.

Elsewhere, Switzerland was praised for its high-paying jobs and for being one of the safest places in the world. This has been backed up by previous studies which found Switzerland is one of the best in Europe for quality of life, with Swiss cities earmarked as some of the best places to live.

Switzerland outdone on the ranking by most of Europe

The question is, therefore: why didn’t the alpine nation place in front of its European contemporaries, with the Netherlands placing in ninth and Germany nabbing one of the top spots in seventh? Other European nations like Ireland (19th), Bulgaria (18th), Latvia (17th), Spain (16th), Slovenia (14th) and Lithuania (13th) also outdid Switzerland on the ranking.

The answer, as is the case for a lot of things involving Switzerland, is cost. “Living in Switzerland doesn’t come cheap – it’s one of the most expensive places to rent in the world,” the company concluded.

Another reason for Switzerland’s score is the country’s policy regarding maternity and paternity leave. Despite efforts to change the system, women in Switzerland tend to only take the leave once they have given birth and are in postnatal care, and once they do, it only amounts to around 14 weeks.

The best place to start a family in the world in 2023

However, high prices might not have too much of an effect on the ranking, as coming in first place in 2023 was Norway, mainly due to its extremely generous maternity leave. Singapore, Denmark, Iceland and Finland rounded out the top five. In all, here are the top 10 countries in the world to raise a family in 2023:

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, check out the official website.