Raising a child? These are the best countries to do it

Raising children is tough.

Magnifying the challenge are a host of factors ranging from climate change to ecological degradation, conflict, inequality, and aggressive capitalism.

So argues an extensive new report published by the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. The report, ominously titled ‘A future for the world’s children?’, evaluates countries based on how good a life someone between 0 and 18 can expect to have there.

Let’s get right to it: Norway is the best, as it usually is in rankings. Also good are South Korea (2nd) and The Netherlands (3rd). Fourth is France, fifth is Ireland. Canada is… 21st. Keep in mind this is before paying for school and a place to live. Neverthless, we keep winning quality of life titles.

The only reference to Canada in the report criticizes our the way our companies target children with ads for unhealthy foods and beverages.

Countries near the top of the list “support future generations put a high priority on ensuring all children’s needs are met, by delivering entitlements, such as paid parental leave, free primary health care at the point of delivery, access to healthy—and sufficient amounts of—food, state-funded or subsidised education, and other social protection measures.”

And that explains why our neighbours to the south are middling in 39th place.