Best European countries to raise a family: all 27 EU ranked

Last updated: 2026-08-21

Moving with children raises the stakes. Suddenly the questions are about schools, doctors and whether your kids will settle, not just rent and weather. The good news is that much of the EU is genuinely family-friendly. This guide ranks all 27 countries on the things parents tend to weigh first: schools, healthcare and safety.

What matters most when you move with kids

Schools: quality, and whether there are international or English-language options while your children learn the local language.
Healthcare: access to good paediatric and family care.
Safety and stability: a calm environment to grow up in.
Practical support: childcare, parental leave and family benefits, which vary widely and are worth checking per country.

All 27 EU countries for families

Here is where MoveMap’s model rates each EU country across schools, healthcare and safety, best for families first (illustrative scores only):

Country	Schools*	Healthcare*	Safety*
Finland	90	85	92
Denmark	82	86	88
Austria	78	85	88
Luxembourg	80	85	88
Sweden	82	84	82
Netherlands	80	85	82
Germany	78	85	80
France	76	86	72
Belgium	76	82	72
Ireland	78	72	80
Slovenia	72	74	85
Estonia	75	70	83
Spain	70	80	78
Czechia	70	72	82
Italy	68	78	75
Malta	66	75	80
Portugal	65	72	85
Lithuania	68	68	80
Cyprus	62	68	82
Latvia	68	64	78
Croatia	62	65	80
Slovakia	64	64	80
Greece	60	65	78
Hungary	64	62	78
Poland	65	60	75
Romania	60	58	75
Bulgaria	58	58	68

*MoveMap EU's rough relative scores (0-100), illustrative only. Higher is better. They do not capture local school places, waiting lists or specific family benefits, which vary by city.

The bit the table cannot score

How well a move works for your family also comes down to language at school, the ages of your children and how close you stay to grandparents and support. A teenager and a toddler need very different things, so treat the ranking as a shortlist and then look closely at schooling in your target cities.

Match it to your family

The MoveMap check asks about your household, your children and what you value, then ranks all 27 EU countries for your family rather than an average one.

Frequently asked questions

Which EU country is best for raising a family?

Blending schools, healthcare and safety, our model puts Finland first at 89/100, then Denmark at 85, Austria and Luxembourg at 84 and Sweden at 83. The Nordic lead comes from the combination rather than any single strength: good schools matter less if you are worried about safety, and vice versa.

Is school free in Europe for foreign children?

Public education is generally free and open to children who are legally resident, whatever their nationality, and in most countries school attendance is compulsory regardless of immigration status. The cost question is really a language question: public school is taught in the local language, so families who want English-medium education pay international-school fees, which in most EU capitals run into five figures a year.

How expensive is childcare in the EU?

It varies more than almost any other family cost. The Nordic countries and several Central European members subsidise childcare heavily and cap what parents pay; others leave far more of it to families, and in a few places the practical constraint is a waiting list rather than the price. Because rules change with each budget, check the current subsidy for the specific country and municipality rather than relying on a general ranking.

How these numbers are made

Updated 2026-08-21

The 0-100 figures in this ranking are MoveMap EU's own comparative estimates, not official statistics or a third-party index. They are built to rank the 27 countries against each other from public cost, wage, language and institutional data, and they are calibrated to be directionally right rather than precise to the point. Where a figure comes from a dated external dataset, such as the tax pages, the source and check date are named on that page.

The full weighting is written up on our methodology page. Published by Dobreon sp. z o.o., Krakow, Poland (VAT PL6772528744). Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

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