Germany has come in fifth place in the KidsRights Index for 2023, retaining its spot from the previous year. According to the index, respecting the views of children and funding policies in line with suggestions made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child are particular areas where the country has improved.

The 2023 KidsRights Index

The KidsRights Index is an annual study carried out by the KidsRights Foundation and Erasmus University in Rotterdam. The study is “the only annual global ranking on how countries worldwide are adhering to children’s rights.”

The 2023 report features a total of 193 countries - all of which are UN member states that have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - and assess each one against the five key components of the convention:

• Right to life
• Right to health
• Right to education
• Right to protection
• Enabling environment for child rights

Each country is scored out of 10 across all five categories. These scores are then used to calculate a geometric average, which is then used to rank all of the 193 nations. 

On the whole, research conducted over the past 12 months “results in a complex and gloomy picture of children’s rights across the world,” the KidsRights report reads. According to KidsRights’ founder and chair, Marc Dullaert, a number of factors - including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and the ongoing war in Ukraine - has resulted in a “polycrisis” which is "likely to take a further toll on children in the years to come, because it seems there is no time for recovery if crises after crises occur and reinforce each other in a negative spiral.”

Europe continues to dominate the top 10 of the KidsRights index, although this year does see Sweden rise from second place into first, knocking the long-reigning victor, Iceland, from the top spot. Finland’s score has also improved, with the country rising from third place to second. In contrast, the United Kingdom continues to occupy the bottom end of the table, moving from place 174 to 179 and Chad continues to rank lowest in spot 185.

Germany retains spot five in KidsRights Index 2023

In 2023 Germany retained its ranking in fifth place. While the country saw no major policy changes when it comes to the index’s five key domains; life, health, education, protection and enabling the environment for child rights, some specific changes were praised. 

The decision to allow young people over 16 to vote in statewide elections in six German federal states, at a local level in 11 states and in European elections from 2024, was commended. Alongside Kuwait and Zambia, Germany was one of only three countries to improve its score when it comes to “respecting the views of the child”.

However, Germany’s score was weakened based on a concern that children’s experiences and views aren’t adequately considered in court and administrative proceedings and that children in Germany who are in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations, such as refugee children or those living in poverty, may face discrimination.

Only in 2021 did Germany enshrine the rights of the child in its Basic Law (Grundgesetz), which until then did not explicitly state that special protection should be awarded to children. Though, in the same year, Luisa Neubauer and other German youth climate activists took the federal government to court, complaining that the country’s failure to adhere to promises made in the Paris Agreement was a violation of human rights upheld in the Grundgesetz, not just for children, but for all people living in Germany. 

Best countries in the world for children's rights

According to the KidsRights Index 2023, these 10 countries are leading the way in children’s rights: 

1. Sweden - 0,913
2. Finland - 0,908
3. Iceland - 0,907
4. Luxembourg - 0,903
5. Germany - 0,898
6. Greece - 0,898
7. Denmark - 0,890
8. Thailand - 0,885
9. Norway - 0,881
10. Slovenia - 0,880

For more information about the ranking, visit the KidsRights website.

Thumb image credit: Jesus Fernandez / Shutterstock.com