Here Are the Top 10 Places in the World to Have a Child

One European capital is the best place for expectant parents, according to a new survey, while many American cities fare poorly in the 50-city survey.

Now we know why they say "Reykjavik loves.”

The motto of Iceland's capital city may be an enticement for tourists, but a recent survey gives the phrase whole new meaning.

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Reykjavik is the best city for expectant parents, according to a survey by insurance company William Russell.

Generous Paid Leave

The U.K. firm analyzed 50 cities throughout the world on factors as parental leave, childcare costs, fertility rates, safety and pollution. Reykjavik remained in the top spot this year.

New parents living in the city receive a combined paid leave of 52 weeks and pay around €314, or about $335, for private childcare services per month.

Five of the 10 ten cities were in Scandinavia, with Oslo, Norway coming in second,. followed by Helsinki, Finland, Copenhagen, Denmark, and Stockholm, Sweden. 

The U.S. fared poorly in the survey, with Los Angeles coming in dead last, behind San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York City.

Honolulu came in 40th, Orlando was rated 42nd and Miami was in the 44th spot.

"Helsinki in Finland still offers the highest amount of combined paid leave, with a huge 170 weeks available to new parents," the study said, adding that Seoul, South Korea, which placed sixth on the list, still offers the longest paid paternity leave for new fathers at 52.6 weeks.

Helsinki also has the lowest levels of pollution, the report said.

Other cities on the top 10 list include Kyoto, Japan; Tallinn Estonia, Vienna, Austria and Munich, Germany.

Stockholm is currently the most affordable city when it comes to childcare services, knocking Berlin off the top spot. 

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Sending a child to a private childcare service in Stockholm will cost €128.07 on average, or about $136.54.

"Early childhood education and care services can be incredibly important to parents, as it provides them with the support that they need when returning to work," the report said. 

Amsterdam in the Netherlands overtook Reykjavik when it comes to early childhood education and care services, with 65.5% of children aged between 0-2 years old participating in early childhood education, William Russell said.

The report also considers fertility rates, finding that most children were born in France, with Nice and Paris both having 1.8 children for every woman.

The previous winner was Antalya in Turkey, where the fertility rate has decreased from 1.88 to 1.76.

Nice also still has the best healthcare services and facilities, the report said.

Safety is naturally a major concern when considering where to raise a young family. Kyoto, which is considered the cultural capital of Japan, also rated as the safest city to live in.