Ireland among ‘worst’ countries in Europe to raise a family, claims research

We often hear about how good life is in other European countries compared to here.

Now it's been confirmed that one area where Ireland leaves a lot to be desired is that of being a parent. The country has been named as one of the worst in Europe to raise a family. A new index ranks Ireland in 19th place out of 25 countries for bringing up children. The We Are Family index, compiled by Wren Kitchens, focuses on the financial side of raising a family. It takes into account the maternity and paternity leave available, cost of living, property prices and the cost of childcare across the European countries.

Despite facing economic ruin during the recession, Greece's affordable housing, lower cost of living and childcare fees mean the country took the number one spot on the list.

It was followed by four Eastern European countries - Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Poland make up the rest of the top five.

Switzerland was named the worst country to raise a family. The country's lack of paternity leave, expensive childcare fees and high cost of living put it in 25th place. Our Scandinavian cousins, who are often lauded as the some of the happiest people in the world, didn't do too well either. While Finland and Denmark claimed eighth and 13th places respectively, Sweden was ranked at 18th and Norway at 21st. Our closest neighbours in the UK fared slightly better than us, coming in at number 16.   The full index 

1. Greece
2. Slovakia
3. Czech Republic
4. Estonia
5. Poland
6. Spain
7. Hungary
8. Finland
9. Germany
10. Austria
11. Latvia
12. Belgium
13. Denmark
14. Portugal
15. Slovenia
16. United Kingdom
17. France
18. Sweden
19. Ireland
20. Italy
21. Norway
22. The Netherlands
23. Iceland
24. Luxembourg
25. Switzerland