New Research Has Revealed The Best Cities In The World To Become A New Parent, With 5/10 In Europe.

The study by William Russell analyzed 50 global cities for a number of factors including maternity and paternity leave, pre-school costs, healthcare and safety to reveal the leading places to live when becoming a new parent.

You can view the full research here: https://www.william-russell.com/campaigns/best-cities-in-the-world-for-new-expat-parents/

The Top 10 Best Cities for New Parents: 

• Taking the top spot is Reykjavík, Iceland with a pregnancy friendly score of 7.28. Reykjavík scores particularly well for environment and safety, with a safety index score of 78.03 and a pollution index score of just 15.01.
• In second place is Kyoto, Japan with a score of 7.25, it’s one of two Japanese cities to make the top 5. There are a couple of factors where Kyoto proves itself, such as the length of paid paternity leave available for fathers, an impressive total of 52 weeks.
• In third place is Tallinn, Estonia coming in with a score of 7.24. With a total of 166 weeks of paid maternity leave available to mothers, Estonia’s capital, Tallinn stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cities in terms of maternity leave.
• 5/10 cities are based in Europe and the other half are located in Asia, showing the two continents are the best places to raise a family.

Cities with the Longest Maternity and Paternity Leave:
While Helsinki in Finland tops the list, Seoul in South Korea also deserves a mention with the longest available paid paternity leave for fathers at 52.6 weeks.

1. Helsinki, Finland
2. Tallinn, Estonia
3. Budapest, Hungary
4. Seoul, South Korea
5. Kyoto, Japan

Cities with the Most Children in Early Education:
Reykjavik in Iceland tops the list with a huge 59.7% of children participating in formal early childhood education and care services.

1. Reykjavik, Iceland
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Seoul, South Korea
4. Paris, France
5. Oslo, Norway

Cities with the Best Quality of healthcare:
Nice in France has the highest health care index score of 87.85, meaning that this city offers an excellent quality of care.

1. Nice, France
2. Glasgow, United Kingdom
3. Kyoto, Japan
4. Seoul, South Korea
5. Tokyo, Japan

Inez Cooper, founder of William Russell commented:
“Becoming a new parent away from your native country can be a stressful time. Whether you’re planning a family or you already have children – you’ll want to ensure you and your baby have access to the best possible maternity care and best environment throughout your pregnancy.
By conducting this study to help new parents gain a really rounded view on what the process is like all over the world and equip them with the best knowledge of the location when the time comes. Avoiding unexpected high costs and cultural misunderstandings could make welcoming a new child away from home more stressful than it needs to be.
Ensuring you are fully covered with an international medical insurance plan will bring peace of mind as well as providing the best possible start in life for you new baby.”

Full research: https://www.william-russell.com/campaigns/best-cities-in-the-world-for-new-expat-parents/