Raising children is one of the most rewarding but financially demanding parts of life, and the cost varies greatly from country to country
A recent study by Ubuy, a cross-border e-commerce platform, has ranked European countries based on affordability for parents, taking into account things like maternity and paternity leave, childcare costs, and family benefits.
The results placed Ireland among the least affordable countries, ranking third from the bottom with a score of just 22 out of 100.
There are several factors contributing to Ireland’s low ranking in terms of affordability for families, including:
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Maternity and paternity leave policies play a crucial role in supporting new parents, but Ireland lags behind many of its European neighbours.
Irish mothers receive 26 weeks maternity leave, paid at an average of just 23.6% of their earnings.
This is significantly lower than places like Bulgaria, where mothers receive 58.6 weeks at 90% pay.
For dads, Ireland offers only 2 weeks of paternity leave at 23.6% pay. This is in stark contrast to Spain, where fathers are entitled to 16 weeks of fully paid leave, or France, which provides 4.2 weeks of full pay along with additional home care leave at 14.5% pay.
Childcare Costs
Another major financial burden for Irish families is the cost of childcare. Before any rebates or government deductions, childcare costs amount to a staggering 38% of the average income.
Even after deductions, it remains a high 31%, making childcare in Ireland one of the least affordable in Europe.
Preschool costs are also among the highest, averaging €960.82 per month – placing Ireland as the fifth most expensive country for early childhood education.
Only Switzerland and the Netherlands have higher preschool costs.
Benefits for Families
Government support for families varies across Europe, with some countries offering significant financial benefits to help parents with child-rearing costs.
In Ireland, family benefits amount to just 7.1% of the average income for both single-parent and two-parent households.
Meanwhile in Poland, single-parent families can receive 36.5% of average earnings in benefits, and middle-income two-parent families can access 11%.
How do other countries compare?
The Ubuy research shows huge differences across Europe when it comes to parental support.
The countries deemed most affordable for raising children include:
- Slovakia – The most affordable country, scoring 79/100.
- Luxembourg – Ranked second with a score of 70/100.
- Estonia & Poland – Tied for third place, both scoring 67/100.
- Romania – Fourth place with a score of 66/100.
- Austria – Fifth place with a score of 64/100.
Countries like Germany and Austria benefit from extremely low childcare costs, with parents in these countries spending just 1% and 3% of their average income on childcare.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria stands out for its generous maternity leave policies, and Poland offers the highest financial benefits to single parents.
Faizan Khan from Ubuy summed up the findings and said: “We were interested to see the differences across Europe in terms of what’s on offer to families.
“While some countries like Bulgaria offered more than a year’s paid maternity leave, other countries like Germany and Austria had very low childcare costs, at 1% and 3% of the average income respectively.
“And other countries had higher financial benefits for families, for example Poland which had the highest benefits for single-parent families at 36.5% of the average income.”
As the cost of living continues to rise, these issues are becoming even more pressing for Irish families.
