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 |
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.