The experience of becoming a parent looks very different depending on your passport. In certain countries, new mothers step into more than a year of paid leave. In others, they’re expected back at work within weeks—or, in a few cases, without a break entirely. A new global study by UK-based HR services firm Moorepay compared statutory maternity leave and pay across nearly 200 countries, adjusting each figure for local purchasing power to show what those benefits are really worth. The results reveal a striking divide between Europe’s safety nets, Asia’s middle ground, and nations like the United States and South Africa that do not guarantee any paid leave at all.
A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller India.
Countries with the longest maternity leaves
Romania leads the world with two full years of statutory maternity leave. South Korea isn’t far behind at 90.9 weeks, followed by Poland at 61 weeks, Bulgaria at 58.6 weeks, and Sweden at 55.7 weeks. These are the top 5 countries that offer the longest maternity leaves in the world.
- Romania — 104 weeks — $49,777
- South Korea — 90.9 weeks — $48,795
- Poland — 61 weeks — $46,053
- Bulgaria — 58.6 weeks — $22,634
- Sweden — 55.7 weeks — $46,952
Countries with the most valuable maternity pay
Length of leave is one part of the picture. How much mothers are paid during that leave is just as important. By Moorepay’s calculations, Norway is the most generous country in the world when it comes to maternity pay. Mothers there can claim up to $73,955 in “international dollars,” a purchasing-power adjusted figure that accounts for what the money can buy locally. Though technically, Finland follows with $46,952, Romania leapfrogs into second place thanks to its lower cost of living. Its maternity pay stretches to $49,777 in real terms.
These are the top 5 countries that offer the highest maternity pay in the world.
- Norway — $73,955
- Romania — $49,777
- South Korea — $48,796
- Finland — $46,952
- Sweden — $46,952
Countries with the least generous maternity leaves
At the very bottom of the list are Tonga, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and the United States, which offer no statutory maternity pay at all, leaving the matter to each employer’s discretion. Even where there is provision, some policies are threadbare. In Eswatini, for instance, mothers can take six weeks before birth and six after, but only two of those weeks are paid—and not in consecutive years.
