What are the best countries in the world to raise a child? The 2025 ranking of the most suitable places for families.
What are the best countries in the world to raise a child in 2025?
There are several updates offered by authoritative surveys and research institutes on services and quality of life guaranteed to families. For those who have one or more children, educational, health, social aspects, leisure opportunities and the degree of liveability of cities are crucial factors for the good growth of their children and for family serenity.
In the world, not all countries fully satisfy these requirements and in the ranking of the best places to raise a child, Italy does not excel.
To get an up-to-date list of the Best Countries to Raise a Child in 2025 we relied on the US News survey, the result of very in-depth research, which also makes use of the collaboration of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A total of 16,960 individuals from 36 countries in regions spanning the globe (America, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East) were interviewed.
The list is the result of responses offered by informed elites, that is, individuals with a college education who consider themselves middle class or above and who read or watch the news at least four days a week; business decision makers, that is, senior leaders of an organization or owners of small businesses who employ others; and the general public, that is, adults aged 18 and over who are nationally representative of their country in terms of age and gender.
Top 20 Countries to Raise Kids
In addition to the overall 2024 U.S. News Best Countries list, the Top Countries to Raise Kids list is based on a global survey of nearly 17,000 people.
The ranking is based on how respondents perceived different countries on eight specific attributes: human rights, family environment, gender equality, happiness, income equality, safety, and well-developed education and public health systems.
As evident in the following list, in the 20 best countries to raise children Italy is at the bottom of the list:
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Austria
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Germany
- Iceland
- United Kingdom
- Luxembourg
- Spain
- France
- Italy
- Portugal
The countries ranked first are not a surprise. If you happen to read other authoritative surveys on the same topic or, in general, on the quality of life, the Northern European nations are at the top of the list.
Excellent performances in terms of attention to the environment, human rights, efficiency of schools and hospitals make these nations ideal places to raise a child or live a healthy family dimension.
As the 2025 ranking shows, not only are Scandinavian countries in the top positions, but the top 20 is largely dominated by European nations, with Mediterranean countries closing the top list. The United States, on the other hand, is outside the top 20. An alarming fact.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: I Paesi migliori per crescere un figlio nel 2025: dov’è l’Italia?
