World data · 61 countries · updated October 2026
Cost of raising a child by country
What it costs to raise one child from birth to age 18, ranked in US dollars, for the 61 countries where a comparable national estimate exists.
United States leads the 61 countries ranked here on cost of raising a child to 18 at $310k, followed by Australia at $300k and Norway at $290k. The median country is Colombia at $35k.
What this measures
Total direct household spending on one child from birth to age 18, converted to US dollars.
What it does not
It excludes lost earnings, which in many countries exceed the direct costs. It also excludes childcare in countries where the state provides it, which shifts cost rather than removing it.
The bottom of the table
Bars are scaled across the full observed range ($7k to $310k), not to 100%, so the real spread is visible.
How the values are spread
Where the 61 countries fall
The range from $7k to $310k is split into 10 equal bands, and each bar counts the countries in one band.
| Band | Countries | Including |
|---|---|---|
| $7k to $37k | 32 | Iran, Colombia, Peru and 29 more |
| $37k to $68k | 10 | Chile, Turkey, Malaysia and 7 more |
| $68k to $98k | 3 | Poland, China, Russia |
| $98k to $128k | 0 | — |
| $128k to $159k | 0 | — |
| $159k to $189k | 2 | Italy, Spain |
| $189k to $219k | 4 | Germany, Sweden, France and 1 more |
| $219k to $249k | 2 | Japan, Netherlands |
| $249k to $280k | 4 | South Korea, United Kingdom, New Zealand and 1 more |
| $280k to $310k | 4 | United States, Australia, Norway and 1 more |
How this is built: each band is one tenth of the gap between the lowest and highest value; a country is counted in the band its value falls in, and the top band includes the highest value. Countries with no comparable figure are left out. Chart drawn with Apache ECharts.
The full ranking
All 194 countries
Click any column heading to re-sort. Type to filter, or pick a region. Every country name links to its full profile.
194 countries shown · 133 with no comparable figure
| Rank | Country | Cost of raising a child to 18 | Bar | Region | Gen Alpha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | United States | $310k | North America | 62m | |
| #2 | Australia | $300k | Oceania | 5m | |
| #3 | Norway | $290k | Europe & Central Asia | 900k | |
| #4 | Canada | $280k | North America | 6m | |
| #5 | South Korea | $260k | East Asia & Pacific | 6m | |
| #6 | United Kingdom | $260k | Europe & Central Asia | 12m | |
| #7 | New Zealand | $250k | Oceania | 1m | |
| #8 | Ireland | $250k | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| #9 | Japan | $230k | East Asia & Pacific | 14m | |
| #10 | Netherlands | $230k | Europe & Central Asia | 3m | |
| #11 | Germany | $215k | Europe & Central Asia | 12m | |
| #12 | Sweden | $210k | Europe & Central Asia | 2m | |
| #13 | France | $200k | Europe & Central Asia | 12m | |
| #14 | Saudi Arabia | $190k | Middle East & North Africa | 9m | |
| #15 | Italy | $180k | Europe & Central Asia | 7m | |
| #16 | Spain | $165k | Europe & Central Asia | 6m | |
| #17 | Poland | $95k | Europe & Central Asia | 6m | |
| #18 | China | $75k | East Asia & Pacific | 230m | |
| #19 | Russia | $70k | Europe & Central Asia | 26m | |
| #20 | Chile | $65k | Latin America | 4m | |
| #21 | Turkey | $60k | Middle East & North Africa | 19m | |
| #22 | Malaysia | $60k | East Asia & Pacific | 8m | |
| #23 | Ukraine | $60k | Europe & Central Asia | 6m | |
| #24 | Brazil | $55k | Latin America | 44m | |
| #25 | Mexico | $50k | North America | 31m | |
| #26 | South Africa | $48k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 17m | |
| #27 | Thailand | $45k | East Asia & Pacific | 11m | |
| #28 | India | $42k | South Asia | 327m | |
| #29 | Argentina | $40k | Latin America | 11m | |
| #30 | Iran | $35k | Middle East & North Africa | 18m | |
| #31 | Colombia | $35k | Latin America | 11m | |
| #32 | Peru | $32k | Latin America | 8m | |
| #33 | Iraq | $30k | Middle East & North Africa | 16m | |
| #34 | Indonesia | $30k | East Asia & Pacific | 68m | |
| #35 | Ecuador | $30k | Latin America | 4m | |
| #36 | Philippines | $28k | East Asia & Pacific | 32m | |
| #37 | Venezuela | $28k | Latin America | 7m | |
| #38 | Guatemala | $28k | Latin America | 6m | |
| #39 | Egypt | $26k | Middle East & North Africa | 34m | |
| #40 | Pakistan | $26k | South Asia | 80m | |
| #41 | Vietnam | $26k | East Asia & Pacific | 23m | |
| #42 | Bolivia | $25k | Latin America | 3m | |
| #43 | Sri Lanka | $24k | South Asia | 4m | |
| #44 | Afghanistan | $22k | Middle East & North Africa | 17m | |
| #45 | Myanmar | $22k | East Asia & Pacific | 13m | |
| #46 | Bangladesh | $20k | South Asia | 44m | |
| #47 | Nigeria | $18k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 95m | |
| #48 | Kenya | $17k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 19m | |
| #49 | Ghana | $16k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 12m | |
| #50 | Nepal | $16k | South Asia | 8m | |
| #51 | Côte d'Ivoire | $15k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 12m | |
| #52 | Cameroon | $14k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 12m | |
| #53 | Senegal | $14k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 7m | |
| #54 | Zimbabwe | $13k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 7m | |
| #55 | Sudan | $12k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 19m | |
| #56 | Tanzania | $10k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 28m | |
| #57 | Angola | $10k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 15m | |
| #58 | Ethiopia | $9k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 48m | |
| #59 | Uganda | $9k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 20m | |
| #60 | Mozambique | $8k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 14m | |
| #61 | DR Congo | $7k | Sub-Saharan Africa | 44m | |
| — | Albania | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 457k | |
| — | Algeria | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 14m | |
| — | Andorra | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 10k | |
| — | Antigua and Barbuda | Not reported | Latin America | 17k | |
| — | Armenia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 557k | |
| — | Aruba | Not reported | Latin America | 18k | |
| — | Austria | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| — | Azerbaijan | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 2m | |
| — | Bahamas | Not reported | Latin America | 71k | |
| — | Bahrain | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 309k | |
| — | Barbados | Not reported | Latin America | 48k | |
| — | Belarus | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| — | Belgium | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 2m | |
| — | Belize | Not reported | Latin America | 113k | |
| — | Benin | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 6m | |
| — | Bermuda | Not reported | North America | 9k | |
| — | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 400k | |
| — | British Virgin Islands | Not reported | Latin America | 6k | |
| — | Brunei | Not reported | East Asia & Pacific | 97k | |
| — | Bulgaria | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 960k | |
| — | Burkina Faso | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 10m | |
| — | Cape Verde | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 131k | |
| — | Cayman Islands | Not reported | Latin America | 12k | |
| — | Central African Republic | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 3m | |
| — | Chad | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 10m | |
| — | Comoros | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 331k | |
| — | Costa Rica | Not reported | Latin America | 947k | |
| — | Croatia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 524k | |
| — | Cuba | Not reported | Latin America | 2m | |
| — | Curaçao | Not reported | Latin America | 27k | |
| — | Cyprus | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 222k | |
| — | Czechia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 2m | |
| — | Denmark | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 937k | |
| — | Djibouti | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 345k | |
| — | Dominica | Not reported | Latin America | 12k | |
| — | Dominican Republic | Not reported | Latin America | 3m | |
| — | El Salvador | Not reported | Latin America | 2m | |
| — | Equatorial Guinea | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 736k | |
| — | Eritrea | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 1m | |
| — | Estonia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 203k | |
| — | Eswatini | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 419k | |
| — | Finland | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 806k | |
| — | Gabon | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 959k | |
| — | Gambia | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 1m | |
| — | Georgia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 780k | |
| — | Gibraltar | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 7k | |
| — | Greece | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| — | Grenada | Not reported | Latin America | 22k | |
| — | Guinea | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 6m | |
| — | Guinea-Bissau | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 881k | |
| — | Guyana | Not reported | Latin America | 243k | |
| — | Haiti | Not reported | Latin America | 4m | |
| — | Honduras | Not reported | Latin America | 3m | |
| — | Hungary | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| — | Iceland | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 70k | |
| — | Israel | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 3m | |
| — | Jamaica | Not reported | Latin America | 518k | |
| — | Jordan | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 4m | |
| — | Kazakhstan | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 6m | |
| — | Kiribati | Not reported | Oceania | 48k | |
| — | Kuwait | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 917k | |
| — | Kyrgyzstan | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 2m | |
| — | Laos | Not reported | East Asia & Pacific | 2m | |
| — | Latvia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 279k | |
| — | Lebanon | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 2m | |
| — | Lesotho | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 815k | |
| — | Liberia | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 2m | |
| — | Libya | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 2m | |
| — | Liechtenstein | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 6k | |
| — | Lithuania | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 406k | |
| — | Luxembourg | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 108k | |
| — | Madagascar | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 13m | |
| — | Malawi | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 9m | |
| — | Maldives | Not reported | South Asia | 101k | |
| — | Mali | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 12m | |
| — | Malta | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 71k | |
| — | Marshall Islands | Not reported | Oceania | 12k | |
| — | Mauritania | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 2m | |
| — | Mauritius | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 184k | |
| — | Micronesia | Not reported | Oceania | 36k | |
| — | Moldova | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 578k | |
| — | Monaco | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 5k | |
| — | Mongolia | Not reported | East Asia & Pacific | 1m | |
| — | Montenegro | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 112k | |
| — | Morocco | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 10m | |
| — | Namibia | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 1m | |
| — | Nauru | Not reported | Oceania | 5k | |
| — | Nicaragua | Not reported | Latin America | 2m | |
| — | North Korea | Not reported | East Asia & Pacific | 5m | |
| — | North Macedonia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 298k | |
| — | Oman | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 1m | |
| — | Palau | Not reported | Oceania | 3k | |
| — | Palestine | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 2m | |
| — | Panama | Not reported | Latin America | 1m | |
| — | Paraguay | Not reported | Latin America | 2m | |
| — | Portugal | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| — | Puerto Rico | Not reported | Latin America | 362k | |
| — | Qatar | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 476k | |
| — | Republic of the Congo | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 3m | |
| — | Romania | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 3m | |
| — | Rwanda | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 6m | |
| — | Samoa | Not reported | Oceania | 84k | |
| — | San Marino | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 4k | |
| — | Serbia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 947k | |
| — | Seychelles | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 27k | |
| — | Sierra Leone | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 3m | |
| — | Singapore | Not reported | East Asia & Pacific | 690k | |
| — | Sint Maarten | Not reported | Latin America | 7k | |
| — | Slovakia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 849k | |
| — | Slovenia | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 306k | |
| — | Somalia | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 10m | |
| — | South Sudan | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 5m | |
| — | St Kitts and Nevis | Not reported | Latin America | 9k | |
| — | St Lucia | Not reported | Latin America | 31k | |
| — | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Not reported | Latin America | 21k | |
| — | Suriname | Not reported | Latin America | 163k | |
| — | Switzerland | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 1m | |
| — | Syria | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 8m | |
| — | São Tomé and Príncipe | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 92k | |
| — | Tajikistan | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 4m | |
| — | Timor-Leste | Not reported | East Asia & Pacific | 476k | |
| — | Togo | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 4m | |
| — | Tonga | Not reported | Oceania | 36k | |
| — | Trinidad and Tobago | Not reported | Latin America | 265k | |
| — | Tunisia | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 3m | |
| — | Turkmenistan | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 2m | |
| — | Turks and Caicos Islands | Not reported | Latin America | 8k | |
| — | Tuvalu | Not reported | Oceania | 3k | |
| — | United Arab Emirates | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 2m | |
| — | Uruguay | Not reported | Latin America | 605k | |
| — | Uzbekistan | Not reported | Europe & Central Asia | 12m | |
| — | Yemen | Not reported | Middle East & North Africa | 18m | |
| — | Zambia | Not reported | Sub-Saharan Africa | 9m |
Reading the table
The range is the story: about $310,000 in the United States against about $7,000 in DR Congo. A factor of more than forty.
The US figure is the highest on the list and roughly a fifth of it is childcare in the pre-school years alone — a cost that barely exists in countries where early years provision is public. South Korea at $260,000 is the entry that connects two tables: it has the highest cost of childhood in Asia and the lowest fertility rate ever recorded. Those facts are not unrelated, and Korean policy debate says so openly.
The comparison people actually want is not between the top and the bottom. It is between countries at similar income levels — Norway at $290,000 against Germany at $215,000, or Brazil at $55,000 against Mexico at $50,000. That is where the number tells you something about policy rather than about GDP.
Frequently asked
How much does it cost to raise a child?
From about $7,000 to about $310,000 to age 18, depending on the country. The United States is the most expensive of the 61 countries with a published figure.
Which country is most expensive for raising children?
The United States at about $310,000 to age 18, followed by Australia at $300,000 and Norway at $290,000.
Why is the US figure so high?
Childcare and healthcare. Roughly a fifth of the US total is pre-school childcare, a cost that is largely public in most other high-income countries.
Does a high cost of childhood reduce birth rates?
It is strongly associated with lower fertility, though it is one factor among several. South Korea has both the highest childhood cost in Asia and the lowest fertility rate ever recorded.
How many countries are in this table?
This table ranks 61 countries with a comparable figure, out of the 194 countries profiled on AlphaBetaMinds. The countries in this table hold about 86% of the world population.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes, free of charge and commercially, with a credit to AlphaBetaMinds and a link to this page. The full dataset is also available as plain text at https://alphabetaminds.com/llms-countries.txt.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Cost of raising a child by country. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/data/cost-of-raising-a-child-by-country
Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, ITU. Figures are 2025–2026 estimates. Method on our methodology page.