Moving over, anyone?

Norway has officially been named the best country in the world to become a parent and to raise a child. Maternity and paternity leave, unemployment rates, gender pay gaps, and education were all considered to discovered where would be financially best to start a family. Norway emerged on top, with Iceland and Germany following close behind. The UK came in at number six, followed by Denmark and New Zealand. Ireland just missed out on the top 10 list coming in at number 11, after the USA and the United Arab Emirates. The list was compiled by Money Guru, who found it hardly surprising that two Scandinavian countries nabbed the top spots due to their incredibly high standards of living. "Both (Norway and Iceland) offer a good level of maternity leave (26 – 51.9 weeks) as well as over 14 weeks of paternity leave," they said.

"These countries offer benefits that continue throughout a child’s development, with paid leave available for both parents to take care of everyday health requirements. "Relatively low levels of unemployment mean that there’s a good level of financial stability too."

As well as this, countries which see regular turbulence, such as Lybia and Yemen, actually offer better maternity leave and job protection for women than the USA.

Yemen offers less than 14 weeks maternity leave, where the US offers none at all.