Early childhood education and care are key to success in school, work and life. The EU says every child has the right to affordable, high-quality early education and care. A child’s future should not depend on family background.
However, childcare costs remain a heavy burden for many families in Europe. While some countries offer strong support, in others parents must spend a large share of their income on nurseries.
So, how do childcare costs differ across Europe? What do families pay for care before and after benefits? And what share of household income goes to nurseries or day-care centres?
What do childcare cost and benefit data cover?
Childcare costs and benefits vary widely across Europe, according to the OECD. The data covers centre-based care, meaning childcare provided outside the home in licensed facilities. These include nurseries, day-care centres, crèches, playschools and parent-run groups, offered full or part time.
Cost for families with two children
OECD figures are based on families with two children aged two and three. Net childcare costs are total gross fees minus childcare benefits, adjusted for changes in taxes and other benefits. Gross childcare costs are the charges to parents after public subsidies to providers, but before any discounts based on family circumstances. Childcare benefits may come as allowances, tax breaks, fee rebates or increases in other entitlements.
As of 2023, gross childcare costs for two children in the EU range from €552 in Germany to €39,229 in the Netherlands per year. Including EFTA countries and the UK, Switzerland tops the list at €64,211.
Gross childcare costs also exceed €20,000 in Luxembourg (€30,254), the UK (€27,071 or £23,546) and Ireland (€20,533).
The lowest costs are in Germany (€552) and several other countries fall under €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 five largest economies, the UK has the highest childcare costs, while Germany is the cheapest. Italy (€10,032) is also costly, France is mid-range at €7,717, and Spain has the second lowest of the five at €2,452.
The Nordic countries are close to the median, with Iceland at €5,014.
Net childcare costs depend on whether families have one or two earners
Childcare support varies by income level and number of earners. Single parents and one-earner families usually get more help than two-earner couples.
In some countries, both pay the same, usually where childcare costs are lower—often under €2,000.
When childcare costs are high, the difference between single- and two-earner families becomes significant, as in Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Cyprus. Single parents and one-earner families receive significantly more benefits.
Net childcare costs for single earner families range from zero in Greece, Italy and Malta to €10,200 in Switzerland, followed by the UK (€9,991 or £8,690) and Ireland (€8,409).
The Netherlands (€6,563), Belgium (€5,524), Finland (€4,539) and Norway (€4,177) complete the top seven most expensive. No other country exceeds €4,000. Costs are below €2,000 in 18 of 31 countries, and in 10 of them, they are zero or under €1,050.
For two-earner households, net childcare costs rise significantly in many countries. Switzerland remains the most expensive at €27,551, followed by the Netherlands (€15,915). Costs also exceed €10,000 in the UK (€13,662 or £11,848), Ireland (€13,056) and Belgium (€11,186).
In most countries, net childcare costs for two-earner couples are below €2,500. In Italy and Malta, they remain at zero, followed by Germany at €430.
France stands at €6,523, while Spain is much lower at €2,452.
All figures are based on households earning 100% of the average national wage, with either one or two earners.
How much of your salary goes to childcare?
The most important indicator in understanding the affordability of nurseries and comparing countries is looking at what percentage of salaries go towards net childcare costs.
The UK has the lowest share at 18%, followed by Slovakia (17%) for single parents or one-earner families.
In five more countries, it reaches 10% or higher: Ireland (14%), Czechia (12%), the Netherlands and Romania (11% each), and Switzerland (10%).
Romania ranks sixth by share of income, but only 14th in nominal costs (€1,945). This shows that lower average wages increase the burden on households.
In most European countries, this share is 6% and below including Germany (1%) and France (6%).
For two-earner couples with two children, it ranges from zero in Malta, Bulgaria and Italy to 28% in Switzerland. In Cyprus and the Netherlands (26% each) and the UK (25%), at least a quarter of household income goes to childcare.
In 19 countries, childcare takes 9% or less of average wages, including Spain (8%) and Germany (1%).
The burden, however, in some countries rises notably for dual-earners compared with single earners: from 6% to 26% in Cyprus, 10% to 28% in Switzerland, 11% to 26% in the Netherlands, 9% to 19% in Belgium, and 6% to 15% in France.
Costs and shares vary by income level
While benefits usually increase when households earn below the average wage, the share of income spent on childcare often rises. In Ireland, a single earner on 67% of the average wage spends 19%, compared with spending 14% at 100% of the average wage.
Two-earner couples, when both earn the average wage, spend 22% of their pay on childcare. This rises to 25% when one parent is on 67% of the average wage and the other is on minimum wage.
Why are childcare costs low in Germany but high in the UK?
“The very low percentage in Germany (similar to Austria) results from the effect that gross child care costs are very low on average,” Michael Fuchs, senior researcher at the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, told Euronews Business.
He explained that in Austria—and likely in Germany—gross childcare costs are low because most public institutions charge no fees. In Austria, for example, crèche and kindergarten are free, with only lunch costs to be paid.
“On the contrary, in the UK, gross childcare costs are very high given the widespread private market,” he added.
