Moving abroad isn’t always about improving your own quality of life – for those of us with families, sometimes upping sticks and heading abroad can be a more exciting, prosperous or safer option for your partner and children, too.
But what are the most family-friendly countries? Remitly’s brand-new Immigration Index has the answer. The money transfer service assessed 82 countries across 24 different factors, naming Iceland the best country to move to overall – read more about that here.
However, if you’re bringing up kids, there are a few more factors worth considering. To figure out the best countries for families to move to, Remitly looked into the cost of childcare, the average years of education completed by adults, and the expected years of schooling in each place.
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Topping the list as the most family-friendly country to move to in the world was Sri Lanka, the lush island nation perched in the Indian Ocean. It has a solid family score of 88 out of 100 thanks to what Remitly describes as an ‘impressive education system’ and low annual childcare costs of just $354.60.
There’s a sprawling list of reasons why Sri Lanka is a brilliant place to live – the abundance of historical ruins, the vibrant greenery and the lipsmacking food, to name a few.
The country is also a wildlife haven, with Uda Walawe National Park and Kumana National Park bragging a ridiculously diverse spectrum of animals, including elephants, wild buffalos, giant squirrels, spotted deer, crocodiles, white cobras and tonnes of amazing birds – sounds like a pretty wondrous place to hang out as a kid, right?
Sweden came in second place in Remitly’s ranking, and Norway came in third – take a look below at the top 10 most family-friendly countries in the world, and read more about the Immigration Index on Remitly’s website here.
These are the 10 most family-friendly countries in 2025
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Iceland
- Germany
- Finland
- Denmark
- Australia
- USA
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