Which cities worldwide are the best places to raise a family? The moving company Movinga has compared 150 cities worldwide on how family-friendly they are. Unsurprisingly, Scandinavia and Canada are right at the top, but - perhaps more surprisingly - German cities also compare well, with seven making it into the top 20.

Cities of Opportunity Index 2020

The weather in winter may not be particularly dreamy and the language is far short of simple, but Helsinki is the clear winner when it comes to being a haven for families. The Finnish capital with its 630.000 inhabitants comes first place in Movinga’s Cities of Opportunity Index, just ahead of Quebec in Canada and the Norwegian capital Oslo. 

The ranking is compiled on the basis of 16 factors, which are combined to give an overall score out of 100. The ranking is divided into three categories - quality of life, family law and parental surveys - which are further subdivided into 13 factors that combine to determine the suitability of a place for families: 

• Affordable housing
• Cost of living according to income
• Unemployment
• Education
• Security
• Mobility
• Air quality
• Healthcare
• Children’s activities
• Parental allowance
• Family integration
• Neighbourhood security
• Family friendliness

The best cities for families in 2020

The final index combines all factors to determine the top cities in the world with the best conditions for families. The top 10 cities are as follows: 

• 1. Helsinki, Finland
• 2. Quebec, Canada
• 3. Oslo, Norway
• 4. Munich, Germany
• 5. Copenhagen, Denmark
• 6. Stockholm, Sweden
• 7. Reykjavik, Iceland
• 8. Calgary, Canada
• 9. Montreal, Canada
• 10. Gothenburg, Sweden

Top German cities for families

Overall, the German cities do relatively well in international comparison. Of the 13 included in the study, seven made it into the top 20. Munich scored highest, coming in fourth overall. 

Stuttgart is in 13th place, followed by Hamburg (15), Hannover (16), Frankfurt (17) and Dresden (19). Capital city Berlin just makes it into the top 20 with an overall score of 87,64 out of 100. Other large European capitals did not perform so well: London came 55th, Paris 79th and Rome 129th. 

Here’s how the 13 German cities performed overall: 

• 4. Munich
• 13. Stuttgart
• 15. Hamburg
• 16. Hannover
• 17. Frankfurt
• 19. Dresden
• 20. Berlin
• 25. Düsseldorf
• 26. Leipzig
• 31. Cologne
• 41. Essen
• 44. Bremen
• 46. Dortmund

For the full ranking, including a full methodology of how the scores are worked out, see the Movinga website.