The 20 best countries to raise a family

The report found the UK lags behind other rich countries in reducing inequality in child well-being

Denmark is the best country to raise a family, followed by Finland, Norway and Switzerland (iStock)

Denmark is the best country in the world to raise a family, research suggests.

The Scandinavian country is followed by Finland, Norway and Switzerland, according to a study into inequality in child well-being published by Unicef.

Unicef's Fairness for Children report compared inequalities in income, education, health and life satisfaction between children from rich and poor families.

The report found the UK lags behind other rich countries in reducing inequality in child well-being, coming in at joint 14th place - alongside Germany, Greece and Hungary.

Although the UK performs well on the measure of income equality, it ranked lower than other countries for inequality in education, health and life satisfaction.

A major area of concern is inequality in education, where the UK was ranked 25th out of 37 countries in reading, maths and science.

Britain also had a large gap between rich and poor children in the levels of fruit and vegetable consumption and the levels of physical activity.

Lily Caprani, Unicef UK's Deputy Executive Director, said: “We must be more ambitious for our children. Britain can and must do better. Inequality between children is damaging their lives and aspirations.

“Taking children’s rights seriously means acting with urgency to make sure no child is left behind. The UK Government should adopt, as a matter of urgency, a childhood obesity strategy that promotes and supports healthy lifestyles for low-income children.

"It must also act to further reduce income inequality, which includes protecting social transfers.”

Israel and Turkey emerged as the countries with the highest inequality among children.