These Are The Best Cities In The World To Raise Your Kids

As parents, we’re constantly considering how we’re raising our children. But what about where we raise them? Does the city in which we live give our kids an advantage? A new study conducted by Homeday Real Estate Portal suggests yes.

Realizing that young families represent a driving force in the real estate market, the German company sought to help potential buyers make data-led decisions regarding residency. In addition to surveying hundreds of parents about what they considered to be the most important factors in raising children in urban areas, they asked over 35,000 parenting experts and family journalists to rate their own cities for the quality of the city in terms of raising a family.

Thousands of cities around the world were chosen for research based on five general categories: City, Maternity Law and Health, Happiness, Travel and Activities, and Expert Perception.

Each category explored sub-categories to delve further into the benefits to families represented by each city. Under the category of City, the researchers examined housing, unemployment, education system, pollution, safety, transportation, and affordability.

Maternity Law and Health covered maternity/paternity law and healthcare, while Happiness determined how happy the residents of the city were in general. Travel and Activities included exploring kid-friendly airports, green spaces, and what activities for kids were available.

And finally, hundreds of parents and over 35,000 parenting experts and family journalists were consulted about their own cities.

Using this data, the researchers narrowed the list down to the top 100 cities in the world to raise children. They note that while the list is ranked in order of results, all of the 100 cities should be considered good places to raise children.

Here’s the top ten:

1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Oslo, Norway
3.  Zurich, Switzerland
4. Stockholm, Sweden
5. Hamburg, Germany
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. Basel, Switzerland
8. Toronto, Canada
9. Stuttgart, Germany
10. Munich, Germany

Imagine our surprise to see three Canadian cities make the top 20! Montreal squeaked in at #17, while Toronto and Vancouver represented Canada in the top 10 at #8 and #6 respectively.

Arguably, there are better places in Canada to raise young children and the list may have suburban parents wondering if they should move their family downtown. The researchers note that there are many cities in the world that are fantastic for young families that were not included in the study, which seems to have focused on larger, more urban cities.

Nordic countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark dominate the top 10, with Germany claiming three of the 10 spots. Copenhagen, Denmark landed the coveted first place the top city in the world to raise children. Denmark has made the news recently for innovative approaches to schooling, so this result may not come as a surprise to many. Meanwhile, the Philippines brought up the rear, coming in at 100 on the list, with a low total score of 2.77.

Of course, there is more to choosing a city of residence than the results of a survey, but if you are looking for a change of scenery, this comprehensive study may give you a starting point.

Raising kids is hard anywhere, but finding a family-friendly community can offer much-needed support.

Source: Best Cities for Families Index 2017, Homeday