11 Countries With Best Maternity Leave Policies In The World

If you’re thinking about having children sometime soon, you might be interested to know about the countries with best maternity leave policies in the world.

Maternity leave policies have really grown in recent years. Companies tend to be a little more lenient these days, at least to some degree. That being said, women’s rights have been under attack and it seems like maternity leave policies may change alongside that. Maternity leave, however, is required and quite important. Many years ago women had to quit their jobs in order to have children, but now, women can have children and still go back to work months later with their job intact and everything ready to go. It’s liberating to know that women are appreciated in the workplace and able to have children and be working mothers because that wasn’t always an option. My mom was a working mother, so she stayed at her job after I was born, and I think that’s wonderful.

Maternity leave policies vary by state, country, and sometimes companies so it won’t be the same everywhere you work. If you’re nearing the point in your life where you might want to have kids, that’s something you should consider and evaluate. You can also read up on the companies with the best maternity leave policies in the world. Maternity leave is either paid or unpaid depending on the length and the job. I think it’d be great to have paid leave, so if it were up to me I would gravitate toward jobs that offer that. These are important benefits to learn about during the interview process.

In order to create this list, we took a look at Business Insider, Payscale, and Huffington Post. We then compiled the countries that appear in all three sources. After that, we ranked the countries on two criteria. The first one is the number of weeks that are allowed or mandated for maternity leave. The second piece of criteria is the percentage of wages paid to employees while they’re on leave. We then took the average of those numbers to create our results.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the countries with best maternity leave policies in the world.

11. Germany

Government mandated leave: 14 weeks

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

Parents have the option to extend their leave for up to 12 months in Germany, though they won’t be fully paid for that period of time.

10. Lithuania

Government mandated leave: 18 weeks

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

Lithuania is generous to new mothers and even fathers. New fathers are granted four weeks of fully paid leave, too. Both parents have the choice to split up the remaining 156 weeks of leave, though they won’t be paid for those anymore.

9. Poland

Government mandated leave: 20 weeks

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

Poland gives new mothers five months of fully paid leave. New fathers are also entitled to the last four weeks of the 20 weeks offered.

8. Norway

Government mandated leave: 35 weeks

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

Both parents can receive up to 46 weeks of leave with full pay in Norway.

7. United Kingdom

Government mandated leave: 39 weeks

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

The UK offers a total of 52 weeks of leave, but only 39 of those are paid in full. The leave can be extended as well, though they won’t get paid for it.

6. Albania

Government mandated leave: 365 days

Percentage of wage paid: 80%

Albania ranks 6th in our list of countries with best maternity leave policies in the world. It gives new mothers an entire year of leave, and although it’s not full pay, it’s still quite generous.

5. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Government mandated leave: 365 days

Percentage of wage paid: 82%

This country gives mothers an entire year to bond with their newborns and pays more than the previously listed country Albania. That’s definitely why it’s one of the countries with the best maternity leave policies in the world.

4. Croatia

Government mandated leave: 365 days

Percentage of wage paid: 1oo%

Croatia offers an entire year of leave that’s fully paid, which shows that the country values families as a basic unit.

3. Denmark

Government mandated leave: 365 days

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

Denmark is one of the world’s safest and happiest countries and has a fantastic maternity leave policy. The policy benefits new mothers and fathers.

2. Serbia

Government mandated leave: 365 days

Percentage of wage paid: 100%

Like Denmark, Serbia provides mothers with an entire year of fully paid leave. It enables mothers to fully recover and bond with their new babies.

1. Sweden

Government mandated leave: 420 days

Percentage of wages paid: 80%

Sweden gives over an entire year of leave and fathers are offered a few weeks of fully paid leave. While mothers don’t get fully paid, they’re offered a generous sum.

That concludes our list of the countries with best maternity leave policies in the world. If you’re looking to start a family sometime soon, you should definitely consider moving to one of these fantastic places.