In a round up of the world’s 20 top countries to raise a family in, the winning country was Austria, labeled as the best country for families because of a combination of children’s health and safety, children’s general wellbeing, a wide range of leisure activities for kids and family life in general.

Finland ranked second and also topped a sub-category in the poll thanks to its quality of education. The European country has one of the lowest child poverty rates in the EU, while the female employment rate is among the highest – mainly thanks to the brilliant childcare system in place. Access to public day care is guaranteed to all children under the age of seven and generous parental leave is provided to help parents raise their kids while continuing to work.

Sweden, which is often described as a family paradise, came in third place. Like Finland, it boasts inexpensive childcare and plenty of parental leave. While the Nordic country is generally perceived as being a pricey place to live, a study by Numbeo, a crowdsourced global database of reported consumer prices, found that it’s actually far cheaper than many other EU countries - including England and France.

The 2015 Family Life Index poll, published by InterNations, compiled their data after asking expat parents to rate the country they moved to in terms of the quality, cost and availability of childcare and education.

1. Austria

2. Finland

3. Sweden

4. Israel

5. New Zealand

6. Singapore

7. Germany

8. France

9. Australia

10. Luxembourg

11. Denmark

12. Spain

13. Poland

14. Philippines

15. Mexico

16. Canada

17. Norway

18. South Africa

19. Bahrain

20. Costa Rica

Read the full report: www.internations.org

Photo: Ulf Lundin/ Image Bank of Sweden