A big concern for expat couples on assignment is which countries offer children the best start in life – and the UK and USA do not score well.
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Top of the listing from a poll of expats by CEOWorld magazine is South Korea, while the UK ranks 11 and the USA 36.
The bottom of the list of 180 countries was the African nation of Chad, followed by the Central African Republic, Niger, Somalia and Sierra Leone.
Afghanistan and Mali also ranked at the foot of the list, while Pakistan, Guinea and Nigeria also performed poorly.
A similar survey by US News puts the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden and Norway as the top 3 places to raise children.
Best countries for children 2020
Rank | Country | Nutrition and health | Education and wellbeing | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Korea | 98.53 | 95.99 | 97.26 |
2 | Norway | 98.39 | 95.61 | 97 |
3 | Japan | 98.28 | 95.23 | 96.75 |
4 | Belgium | 95.71 | 95.23 | 95.47 |
5 | Iceland | 95.26 | 93.67 | 95.47 |
6 | Netherlands | 94.87 | 93.67 | 94.27 |
7 | France | 93.85 | 92.84 | 93.34 |
8 | Ireland | 91.58 | 92.79 | 92.18 |
9 | Denmark | 90.95 | 92.79 | 91.87 |
10 | Sweden | 90.86 | 92.73 | 91.79 |
11 | Germany | 89.96 | 92.54 | 91.25 |
12 | United Kingdom | 89.43 | 92.33 | 90.88 |
13 | Luxembourg | 88.38 | 91.85 | 90.11 |
14 | Singapore | 87.35 | 90.43 | 88.89 |
15 | Australia | 87.08 | 90.4 | 88.74 |
16 | Canada | 87.02 | 90.4 | 88.71 |
17 | United Arab Emirates | 86.49 | 90.06 | 88.27 |
18 | Cyprus | 85.32 | 90.02 | 87.67 |
19 | Israel | 84.27 | 90.02 | 87.14 |
20 | Switzerland | 83.8 | 89.77 | 86.78 |
21 | Finland | 83.69 | 89.77 | 86.73 |
22 | Spain | 83.66 | 89.77 | 86.71 |
23 | Malta | 82.71 | 89.51 | 86.11 |
24 | Austria | 81.52 | 89.49 | 85.5 |
25 | Slovenia | 81.27 | 89.45 | 85.36 |
26 | Italy | 81.01 | 89.45 | 85.23 |
27 | Estonia | 79.16 | 89.45 | 84.3 |
28 | Croatia | 78.99 | 89.34 | 84.16 |
29 | Hungary | 78.83 | 89.34 | 84.08 |
30 | Slovakia | 78.79 | 89.34 | 84.06 |
31 | North Macedonia | 78.74 | 89.26 | 84 |
32 | Lithuania | 78.66 | 89.08 | 83.87 |
33 | Kuwait | 78.27 | 89.08 | 83.67 |
34 | Portugal | 78.16 | 88.97 | 83.56 |
35 | United States | 77.74 | 88.94 | 83.34 |
36 | Greece | 77.53 | 88.94 | 83.23 |
37 | New Zealand | 76.74 | 88.83 | 82.78 |
38 | Poland | 76.6 | 88.78 | 82.69 |
39 | Montenegro | 76.41 | 88.78 | 82.59 |
40 | Belarus | 76.38 | 88.74 | 82.56 |
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