Which Countries Give New Parents the Most Paid Leave?

Key Takeaways

• Slovakia leads the OECD with 192 weeks of combined paid leave entitlements per child across maternity, paternity, and shared leave.
• Several countries provide more than two years of combined paid leave, compared with an OECD average of 65 weeks.
• The U.S. is the only OECD country with no national paid parental leave entitlement.

When a child is born, one question quickly becomes unavoidable for working parents: when do you go back to work?

Across OECD countries, the answer ranges from weeks to years, reflecting vastly different systems of parental support.

Using the latest available OECD data, this visualization compares paid birth-related leave entitlements across 38 countries. Figures are for 2024 and include time reserved for mothers and fathers, as well as leave that can be shared between parents.

Read the full article here.