Iceland has been ranked among the most generous countries worldwide for maternity pay, according to new research by payroll specialists Moorepay.
The study compared statutory maternity benefits in more than 170 countries, adjusting figures for cost of living and converting them into dollars to allow fair comparisons.
The findings place Iceland 13th in the world, with mothers entitled to the equivalent of $16,976 (ISK 2.5 million) during leave.
How do other countries compare?
Strollers in a Reykjavík park. Photo: Golli.
Norway tops the list, offering the equivalent of almost $74,000 in paid maternity leave. They are swiftly followed by Romania, South Korea, Finland and Sweden. Other Nordic nations also rank highly, with Denmark close behind Iceland at $16,713.
At the opposite end of the scale, the United States, South Africa, Papua New Guinea and a handful of other countries provide no statutory maternity pay at all. Nations such as Somalia and Zimbabwe offer only a few dollars’ worth of support.
Moorepay said the rankings highlight stark inequalities in global parental benefits. While wealthier European countries dominate the upper tier, many low-income states still lack statutory protections for mothers.
You can see the full list below: