The Countries Where the Government Pays People to Have Children
In this article, discover the countries where the government pays people to have children as a measure to increase the birth rate.
The fact that people nowadays have endless responsibilities is leading more and more of them to rule out the possibility of having children. As they’ve become aware of this situation, the governments of some countries have chosen to provide economic aid to those who decide to undertake the wonderful adventure of parenthood.
Why does the government pay people to have children in some countries?
It’s estimated that the population in these countries could be reduced by a quarter in just 30 years. By then, there won’t be enough labor force to produce the economic goods necessary to meet the pension payments of the millions of retirees who hope to collect them after a lifetime of work.
To preempt this situation, some nations have decided to provide a financial allowance and other benefits to foster parenthood. Some of the benefits include reducing childbirth and childcare costs, school payments, and paid work leave.
The countries where the government pays people to have children
Parenthood is a full-time task that requires time, effort, and financial means. You can be restituted for the latter if you live in a country where the government encourages childbearing. The countries where the government pays you to have children:
Japan
Japan tops the list of countries where the government pays people to have children. In this country, people have insurance for their medical expenses of approximately 420,000 yen, equivalent to approximately 3,500 dollars. If you don’t use it, you can request it later on.
Also, mothers receive a monthly allowance of 15,000 yen until their child turns three. From that point until the child turns 15, they receive a smaller allowance.
Also, foreigners are offered discounts of 50% or more of their medical payments. The result has been positive because, in recent years, the country has managed to increase the birth rate and alleviate the demographic crisis.
Germany
In Germany, there’s a program called Elterngeld, thanks to which legal residents or parents receive a compensation of more than 65% of their salary with taxes.
The maximum is 800 euros and the minimum is 300 euros. This plan also covers unpaid work leave for a little over 14 months.
France
France is also on the list of countries where the government pays people to have children. The help of the Caisse des Allocations Familiales consists of approximately 900 euros after week 28 of gestation. Mothers are given a fully paid 16-week maternity leave. This time increases after their third child.
People who decide to adopt receive a payment of 180 euros a month. In addition, foreigners must register the child as being born in the country in the following three days after childbirth to be able to benefit from this aid.
Other countries where the government pays people to have children
Norway
Norway rewards people who decide to become parents with excellent incentives. A month after the child is born, the government starts paying 6,000 crowns, the equivalent of 700 dollars a month, until the baby turns two.
After that, the payment is reduced to almost 1000 crowns, the equivalent of 120 dollars, until the child turns 18. In addition, parents are granted paid work leave.
Iceland
Iceland is a sparsely populated country, which is why the government not only encourages parenthood but also pays people to marry. The government evaluates the monthly income of the family, which could be increased by 80% of their salaries during the child’s first 18 years of life.
They also offer free prenatal and hospitalization aids. Low-income households or those with unemployed parents are granted a kind of scholarship for the child.
To conclude, you can see that the benefits these countries offer people who decide to become parents range from monthly payments to tax reduction and hospitalization payments. Foreigners can also benefit from these allowances if they meet certain conditions.
Does your country offer allowances to promote birth? Do you think they’re necessary? Are you in favor of these types of government policies? Let us know. Your opinion is important to this community of readers.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Arendt, H. (1993). Entre el pasado y el futuro. Ocho ejercicios sobre la reflexión política. Trad. Ana Poljak. Madrid: Península.
- Cabré Pla, A. M. (1992). “¿Políticas natalistas?”, Revista do Movemento Feminista Galego, 3: 43-44.
- García Moreno, C., & Bodoque Puerta, Y. (2012). “Proyectos y estrategias migratorias de las mujeres cubanas en España”. En VII Congreso Migraciones Internacionales en España: movilidad humana y diversidad social. Bilbao, 11-13 de abril.