The Burrow
Nov 15, 2025
There are several factors that can impact the health of children as they grow up. Unfortunately, not every location has the best ingredients for healthy childhoods. But which nations are best?
To find out, the health insurance comparison experts at Compare the Market examined 48 countries across the world, analysing their performance across 10 key metrics like hospital numbers, park numbers, life expectancy, vaccination rates, and more.
Read the results below.
Known for its pristine natural beauty, Iceland was ranked as the number one healthiest country for raising children with a score of 6.36/10. Iceland has a very high child vaccination rate (96.0%), life expectancy (82.4 years), excellent access to safe drinking water, the second-highest spending on education as a percentage of GDP (7.1% of GDP), and the cleanest air of the countries in our index.
Right behind Iceland is Australia, who were just 0.03 points behind Iceland with a score of 6.33. Australia did well in many of the same areas as Iceland, with a couple of differences that held the nation back. Australia had higher rates of children ranked as overweight and obese than Iceland, and less spending on education as a percentage of GDP. However, Australia had the highest number of parks per million of all 48 nations analysed.
Ranking third with a score of 6.32/10 – making the ranking exceptionally tight – was Japan. Japan had some of the lowest rates of obesity and overweight children, and the second-highest life expectancy at 84.1 years. Japan has some of the lowest spending on education as a part of GDP of the entire list, and higher air pollution levels than Iceland and Australia.
Of the list of 48 nations, almost all of which are developed nations and a part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it was Indonesia that scored the lowest in the index with a score of 2.34/10. Indonesia performed poorly in multiple metrics, including having the lowest education spending as a percentage of GDP (tied with South Africa) at 1.3%.
A lower number of hospitals and parks per million, lower life expectancy and air pollution levels (the second-highest of all countries on the list after India) all contribute to Indonesia being ranked last on the list.
Mexico was the second-lowest scoring on the index with a score of 3.21/10. Lower child vaccination rates, life expectancy, and issues with clean drinking water access, plus a raft of middling scores in other metrics in comparison to other nations, all contributed to Mexico being ranked second last.
The third-lowest ranking nation in the index was Peru, with a score of 3.31/10. The country had a low number of parks per million at 2.37, almost half the population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water, and Peru performed poorly in a number of other metrics.
| Country | Hospitals (per million) | Parks (per million) | Child vax rate | Life expectancy | Safe drinking water access | Education spending (% of GDP) | Overweight rates (5–9yrs) | Overweight rates (10–19yrs) | Insufficiently active children | Air pollution levels | Index score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 20.74 | 37.07 | 96.0% | 82.4 | 100.00% | 7.1 | 33% | 33% | 80% | 4.0 | 6.36 |
| Australia | 48.78 | 145.99 | 93.1% | 83.0 | 99.53% | 5.2 | 54% | 51% | 89% | 4.5 | 6.33 |
| Japan | 65.31 | 50.256 | 96.5% | 84.1 | 98.66% | 3.2 | 23% | 19% | 80%* | 8.6 | 6.32 |
| France | 43.37 | 25.10 | 94.7% | 83.0 | 99.70% | 5.4 | 23% | 20% | 87% | 8.1 | 6.22 |
| Sweden | 4.07 | 28.57 | 94.0% | 83.4 | 99.74% | 7.6 | 42% | 34% | 84% | 5.3 | 6.11 |
| Belgium | 13.79 | 31.40 | 92.0% | 82.5 | 99.74% | 6.4 | 28% | 29% | 83% | 8.9 | 6.03 |
| Denmark | 9.84 | 30.68 | 94.7% | 81.8 | 99.92% | 5.3 | 26% | 23% | 85% | 7.2 | 5.98 |
| Netherlands | 41.67 | 35.58 | 86.8% | 81.9 | 99.97% | 5.1 | 25% | 21% | 80% | 8.9 | 5.97 |
| Luxembourg | 15.01 | 23.61 | 96.3% | 83.4 | 99.53% | 4.7 | 33% | 28% | 79% | 7.5 | 5.92 |
| Finland | 35.10 | 30.87 | 91.0% | 81.6 | 99.64% | 6.5 | 42% | 44% | 75% | 5.2 | 5.89 |
| Portugal | 22.88 | 32.71 | 97.6% | 82.5 | 95.16% | 4.8 | 39% | 26% | 84% | 6.8 | 5.89 |
| Switzerland | 30.94 | 18.15 | 91.7% | 84.3 | 96.70% | 4.9 | 26% | 31% | 86% | 7.3 | 5.82 |
| Canada | 17.66 | 99.88 | 84.7% | 81.7 | 99.04% | 4.1 | 36% | 40% | 76% | 6.7 | 5.78 |
| Norway | 9.51 | 21.00 | 95.8% | 83.1 | 98.82% | 4.0 | 29% | 29% | 84% | 6.6 | 5.71 |
| Spain | 15.57 | 27.62 | 93.3% | 84.0 | 99.57% | 4.3 | 52% | 36% | 77% | 8.7 | 5.53 |
| Germany | 35.46 | 25.70 | 88.5% | 81.1 | 99.92% | 4.5 | 32% | 35% | 84% | 9.0 | 5.49 |
| Czechia | 24.48 | 13.05 | 87.0% | 79.9 | 97.88% | 4.8 | 31% | 18% | 77% | 12.7 | 5.48 |
| Latvia | 29.30 | 31.15 | 94.8% | 75.6 | 97.11% | 4.6 | 37% | 24% | 80% | 9.2 | 5.48 |
| Ireland | 15.88 | 27.32 | 91.3% | 82.9 | 95.99% | 3.0 | 36% | 33% | 72% | 6.5 | 5.45 |
| South Korea | 81.88 | 9.72 | 96.7% | 83.5 | 99.28% | 4.9 | 54% | 44% | 94% | 17.0 | 5.43 |
| United Kingdom | 16.47 | 31.50 | 89.2% | 81.0 | 99.80% | 5.0 | 43% | 41% | 80% | 7.4 | 5.41 |
| Slovakia | 27.09 | 14.20 | 95.4% | 78.2 | 99.18% | 4.8 | 44% | 32% | 72% | 13.6 | 5.40 |
| Lithuania | 24.73 | 20.08 | 86.7% | 77.6 | 94.98% | 4.3 | 21% | 22% | 80% | 10.1 | 5.35 |
| Slovenia | 13.65 | 28.22 | 89.3% | 82.0 | 98.27% | 5.4 | 46% | 37% | 80% | 15.2 | 5.34 |
| Italy | 17.97 | 43.74 | 91.8% | 83.5 | 92.71% | 4.2 | 49% | 31% | 89% | 14.2 | 5.32 |
| Austria | 28.36 | 19.94 | 84.3% | 81.9 | 98.90% | 4.8 | 37% | 40% | 78% | 10.2 | 5.29 |
| New Zealand | 31.95 | 46.65 | 88.5% | 82.0 | 100.00% | 5.2 | 56% | 58% | 89% | 4.4 | 5.27 |
| Colombia | 207.40 | 4.65 | 88.4% | 77.2 | 73.86% | 3.7 | 41% | 37% | 84% | 13.8 | 5.26 |
| Costa Rica | 7.90 | 7.80 | 95.0% | 81.0 | 80.39% | 6.2 | 48% | 47% | 82% | 7.0 | 5.15 |
| Estonia | 20.43 | 38.63 | 78.4% | 79.1 | 97.02% | 5.3 | 42% | 38% | 84% | 4.6 | 5.13 |
| Poland | 33.59 | 17.18 | 87.8% | 78.4 | 88.91% | 4.7 | 35% | 28% | 79% | 14.8 | 5.12 |
| Bulgaria | 52.90 | 7.29 | 93.0% | 75.8 | 95.65% | 4.7 | 50% | 37% | 73% | 12.4 | 5.10 |
| United States | 18.36 | 29.40 | 94.0% | 78.4 | 97.47% | 5.4 | 58% | 65% | 72% | 7.1 | 5.07 |
| Hungary | 16.47 | 9.94 | 99.7% | 76.7 | 100.00% | 4.7 | 51% | 46% | 79% | 12.9 | 5.05 |
| Greece | 25.56 | 8.09 | 91.5% | 81.8 | 98.88% | 4.1 | 55% | 42% | 84% | 11.5 | 4.99 |
| Croatia | 17.63 | 25.61 | 90.9% | 78.6 | 85.00% | 4.1 | 43% | 33% | 77% | 13.8 | 4.95 |
| China | 27.22 | 1.53 | 96.0% | 78.0 | 94.30% | 4.0 | 43% | 31% | 84% | 31.0 | 4.68 |
| Türkiye | 18.35 | 5.96 | 96.1% | 77.3 | 97.00% | 2.6 | 46% | 44% | 81% | 15.3 | 4.59 |
| Brazil | 34.48 | 7.57 | 83.2% | 75.8 | 86.97% | 5.5 | 67% | 24% | 84% | 14.9 | 4.56 |
| Thailand | 19.55 | 2.32 | 87.8% | 76.4 | 100.00% | 2.5 | 43% | 36% | 77% | 19.8 | 4.39 |
| India | 17.92 | 0.66 | 92.2% | 72.0 | 90.50% | 4.1 | 17% | 13% | 74% | 50.6 | 4.36 |
| Romania | 29.85 | 6.40 | 69.1% | 76.4 | 82.87% | 3.3 | 24% | 27% | 80% | 15.3 | 4.17 |
| Argentina | 79.20 | 9.85 | 65.6% | 77.4 | 87.26% | 4.8 | 68% | 58% | 85% | 8.7 | 3.92 |
| Chile | 16.38 | 9.11 | 87.8% | 81.4 | 98.77% | 5.0 | 99% | 78% | 88% | 16.6 | 3.92 |
| South Africa | 9.37 | 1.73 | 76.9% | 66.1 | 93.90% | 1.3 | 26% | 29% | 80%* | 18.8 | 3.42 |
| Peru | 18.35 | 2.37 | 81.0% | 77.2 | 51.99% | 4.2 | 68% | 53% | 85% | 17.1 | 3.31 |
| Mexico | 39.07 | 17.72 | 75.2% | 75.3 | 43.04% | 4.2 | 55% | 57% | 83% | 17.4 | 3.21 |
| Indonesia | 10.53 | 0.88 | 80.9% | 71.1 | 30.00% | 1.3 | 43% | 29% | 86% | 35.5 | 2.34 |
* The global average was used due to limited data being available for these countries.
Steven Spicer, Executive General Manager of Health, Life & Energy at Compare the Market, said that no country was perfect, and even the highest-ranking nations had things that could be improved upon to foster healthy childhoods for kids.
“The top nations all do well in several areas like safe drinking water, child vaccination rates, air pollution levels and lower rates of obesity in children. However, one standout point is that the majority of children are not meeting the recommended weekly physical activity levels,” Mr Spicer said.
“We know that physical activity is important for maintaining good health, and this is especially important for young children with lots of energy. Even just five, 10 or 15 minutes a day can help make a big difference, and it would be good to see this stat improve across the world in future reports.”
Spicer notes that health insurance gives parents more options for their children’s healthcare, helping them get appointments with specialists sooner, having private treatment available for surgeries – all while skipping the public waiting list – and this is often at no additional cost to a health insurance policy.
“Private health insurance gives you more options for treatment and private pathways to healthcare, plus it can cover other things not listed under Medicare, such as physio and optical. For parents, this can help them take charge of their children’s health. Children under 18 are typically covered under family or single-parent policies at no additional cost.
“You can always reach out to your insurer if you have questions about how your cover works for kids. If you don’t have cover, I encourage people to use Compare the Market to compare policies and get on the phone with our experts to understand more about what it covers, how it works, and what it could cost.”
We reviewed data for 48 countries, focusing on OECD member states as well as a few non-OECD countries which had data available through OECD Data Explorer. Ten data points were used, and each nation received a score out of 10 for each metric, based on how they performed in comparison to other countries for that data point. Each nation then received a final index score that was averaged across all 10 metrics.
These data points, and the way in which they were scored, are listed below:
Population was sourced from World Bank.
Data was sourced from 26/09/2025 to the 30/09/2025 using the latest available data for each country.
A previous edition of this report is available here.