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When people talk about settling down with a family, it’s normally assumed that they’re talking about ditching city life to go and raise kids somewhere greener and quieter. But there is something to be said for bringing children up in a place like London.
For one, they’ll hardly ever be bored. And they’ll be exposed to far more culture than if they were growing up in a tiny town a few hundred miles away. Don’t just take our word for it – according to a new report, London is the second best city in entire the world for raising a family.
The study by Compare the Market AU looked at nine different factors across 50 cities: safety, happiness, things to do with kids, cost of living, parental leave, family benefits spending, green spaces, vaccination rates and education spending. With an overall score of 5.992 out of 10, London won the silver medal, losing out on first place to Brisbane.
The Big Smoke’s high ranking is largely thanks to its huge amount of things to do with kids. The study counted 758 child-friendly activities listed for London on TripAdvisor, which was the most of all the cities besides Rome (which has 771 ways to keep kids entertained). Loads of those things, like the Natural History Museum, the Young V&A, the city farms and the Science Museum, are completely free. It also scored well in the green spaces per capita category, with the sixth highest number out of all the cities assessed.
On top of all that, next to all of the Australian cities, London has the most generous statutory parental leave, though it’s worth noting that no other UK city was considered for the ranking. Statutory maternity leave in this country is 52 weeks and paternal leave is two.
Of course, there are areas in which London didn’t score so well. It’s one of the most expensive places in the ranking, with monthly cost of living for a family of four averaging £3,780. It also had the lowest safety score of all the cities in the top 10, based on local resident polls on safety and police crime reports.
Find out which other cities are the best in the world for raising a family here.
Fun for all the family: These iconic London attractions offering free or discounted entry during National Lottery Open Week 2026.
Plus: Plan ahead with our guide to the best Easter holidays activities for kids in London.
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