Raising a child comes with many challenges. The geography of your child’s home country is an important factor to consider, as the unique socio-political landscape will have an impact on the person you raise.
A recent report by US News and World Report has created a ranking of 73 countries determining which are the best and worst for raising a child. The report took multiple factors into consideration, including:
– Caring about human rights
– Being considered family friendly
– The environment for gender equality
– Being seen as happy
– Having income equality
– Being safe
– Having well-developed public education
– Well-developed health care systems
More than 20 000 people participated in the report’s survey, from continents such as the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
At the top of the rankings is Denmark followed by Sweden and Norway, placing second and third respectively. Canada and the Netherlands round out the top five, followed by Finland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and Austria.
Kazakhstan is bottom of the list, followed by Lebanon, Guatemala, Myanmar, Oman and Jordan.
South Africa ranks at number 51 in the world for countries to raise children in, just missing the bottom 20 by two spots. It is the highest ranking African country on the list.
“Africa’s third-largest economy behind Nigeria and Egypt, South Africa draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year eager to see its impressive terrain, wildlife and cultural diversity. Although South Africa has come a long way since the end of apartheid in 1994, it remains a country of vast inequality and high crime. While the country is dotted with world-class dining, trendy shops, sprawling vineyards and upscale safari lodges, townships lacking basic infrastructure are often only a short distance away,” the ranking explanation stipulated.
The full ranking can be viewed here.
Picture: Pixabay