Nursery and crèche: How much do families spend on childcare across Europe?

Early puerility acquisition and attraction are cardinal to occurrence successful school, activity and life. The EU says each kid has nan correct to affordable, high-quality early acquisition and care. A child’s early should not dangle connected family background.

However, childcare costs stay a dense load for galore families successful Europe. While immoderate countries connection beardown support, successful others parents must walk a ample stock of their income connected nurseries.

So, really do childcare costs disagree crossed Europe? What do families salary for attraction earlier and aft benefits? And what stock of family income goes to nurseries aliases day-care centres?

What do childcare costs and use information cover?

Childcare costs and benefits alteration wide crossed Europe, according to nan OECD. The information covers centre-based care, meaning childcare provided extracurricular nan location successful licensed facilities. These see nurseries, day-care centres, crèches, playschools and parent-run groups, offered afloat aliases portion time.

Cost for families pinch 2 children

OECD figures are based connected families pinch 2 children aged 2 and three. Net childcare costs are full gross fees minus childcare benefits, adjusted for changes successful taxes and different benefits. Gross childcare costs are nan charges to parents aft nationalist subsidies to providers, but earlier immoderate discounts based connected family circumstances. Childcare benefits whitethorn travel arsenic allowances, taxation breaks, interest rebates aliases increases successful different entitlements.

As of 2023, gross childcare costs for 2 children successful nan EU scope from €552 successful Germany to €39,229 successful nan Netherlands per year. Including EFTA countries and nan UK, Switzerland tops nan database astatine €64,211.

Gross childcare costs besides transcend €20,000 successful Luxembourg (€30,254), nan UK (€27,071 aliases £23,546) and Ireland (€20,533).

The lowest costs are successful Germany (€552) and respective different countries autumn nether €2,000: Bulgaria (€884), Hungary (€1,007), Austria (€1,638), Czechia (€1,843), Croatia (€1,911), Lithuania (€1,935) and Romania (€1,945).

Among Europe’s 5 largest economies, nan UK has nan highest childcare costs, while Germany is nan cheapest. Italy (€10,032) is besides costly, France is mid-range astatine €7,717, and Spain has nan 2nd lowest of nan 5 astatine €2,452. 

The Nordic countries are adjacent to nan median, pinch Iceland astatine €5,014.

Net childcare costs dangle connected whether families person 1 aliases 2 earners

Childcare support varies by income level and number of earners. Single parents and one-earner families usually get much thief than two-earner couples.

In immoderate countries, some salary nan same, usually wherever childcare costs are lower—often nether €2,000.

When childcare costs are high, nan quality betwixt single- and two-earner families becomes significant, arsenic successful Switzerland, nan Netherlands, France, Belgium and Cyprus. Single parents and one-earner families person importantly much benefits.

Net childcare costs for azygous earner families scope from zero successful Greece, Italy and Malta to €10,200 successful Switzerland, followed by nan UK (€9,991 aliases £8,690) and Ireland (€8,409). 

The Netherlands (€6,563), Belgium (€5,524), Finland (€4,539) and Norway (€4,177) complete nan apical 7 astir expensive. No different state exceeds €4,000. Costs are beneath €2,000 successful 18 of 31 countries, and successful 10 of them, they are zero aliases nether €1,050. 

For two-earner households, nett childcare costs emergence importantly successful galore countries. Switzerland remains nan astir costly astatine €27,551, followed by nan Netherlands (€15,915). Costs besides transcend €10,000 successful nan UK (€13,662 aliases £11,848), Ireland (€13,056) and Belgium (€11,186).

In astir countries, nett childcare costs for two-earner couples are beneath €2,500. In Italy and Malta, they stay astatine zero, followed by Germany astatine €430.

France stands astatine €6,523, while Spain is overmuch little astatine €2,452.

All figures are based connected households earning 100% of nan mean nationalist wage, pinch either 1 aliases 2 earners.

How overmuch of your net goes to childcare?

The astir important parameter successful knowing nan affordability of nurseries and comparing countries is looking astatine what percent of salaries spell towards nett childcare costs. 

The UK has nan lowest stock astatine 18%, followed by Slovakia (17%) for azygous parents aliases one-earner families.

In 5 much countries, it reaches 10% aliases higher: Ireland (14%), Czechia (12%), nan Netherlands and Romania (11% each), and Switzerland (10%).

Romania ranks sixth by stock of income, but only 14th successful nominal costs (€1,945). This shows that little mean wages summation nan load connected households.

In astir European countries, this stock is 6% and beneath including Germany (1%) and France (6%).

For two-earner couples pinch 2 children, it ranges from zero successful Malta, Bulgaria and Italy to 28% successful Switzerland. In Cyprus and nan Netherlands (26% each) and nan UK (25%), astatine slightest a 4th of family income goes to childcare.

In 19 countries, childcare takes 9% aliases little of mean wages, including Spain (8%) and Germany (1%).

The burden, however, successful immoderate countries rises notably for dual-earners compared pinch azygous earners: from 6% to 26% successful Cyprus, 10% to 28% successful Switzerland, 11% to 26% successful nan Netherlands, 9% to 19% successful Belgium, and 6% to 15% successful France.

Costs and shares alteration by income level

While benefits usually summation erstwhile households gain beneath nan mean wage, nan stock of income spent connected childcare often rises. In Ireland, a azygous earner connected 67% of nan mean costs spends 19%, compared pinch spending 14% astatine 100% of nan mean wage.  

Two-earner couples, erstwhile some gain nan mean wage, walk 22% of their salary connected childcare. This rises to 25% erstwhile 1 genitor is connected 67% of nan mean costs and nan different is connected minimum wage.

Why are childcare costs debased successful Germany but precocious successful nan UK?

“The very debased percent successful Germany (similar to Austria) results from nan effect that gross kid attraction costs are very debased connected average,” Michael Fuchs, elder interrogator astatine nan European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, told Euronews Business.

He explained that successful Austria—and apt successful Germany—gross childcare costs are debased because astir nationalist institutions complaint nary fees. In Austria, for example, crèche and kindergarten are free, pinch only luncheon costs to beryllium paid.

“On nan contrary, successful nan UK, gross childcare costs are very precocious fixed nan wide backstage market,” he added.