Maternity Leave By Country [2023]: OECD Country Trends and Data

Maternity leave research summary. Maternity leave is common in many countries around the world, but not a guarantee. While most of Europe has lengthy maternity leave policies available to employees, the United States lags far behind in this area.

Here are some crucial insights our research uncovered about maternity leave in different countries:

• Over 120 countries offer paid maternity leave for employees.

• Women provide the primary source of income in 30% of households worldwide.

• The average length of maternity leave in OECD countries is 18.5 weeks.

• 39 U.S. states offer no paid maternity leave.

Maternity Leave by Country

Countries With the Best Maternity Leave Policies

Countries create their own maternity leave policies, and some are more generous than others. If you’re curious which countries have opted to provide the best maternity leave policies to working mothers, here are some examples:

• Bulgaria offers the longest paid maternity leave of any country, at 58.6 weeks.

  Croatia also potentially offers up to 58 weeks, but only guarantees 30 weeks of pay. Others among the top 5 countries include:

  • Albania – 52 weeks

  • Bosnia & Herzegovina – 52 weeks

  • Montenegro – 52 weeks

  • UK – 39 weeks

• 21 countries across the world offer 100% paid maternity leave.

  Just over 17% of all countries that offer paid maternity leave offer 100% of the employee’s typical pay. Here is a list of every country with 100% paid maternity leave:

  Austria Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Estonia	France Germany India Israel Lithuania Malaysia Mexico	Netherlands Philippines Poland Portugal Singapore Slovenia Spain

• Croatia offers the most maternity leave at 100% pay, offering this for 30 weeks total.

  Others among the top 5 countries that offer the longest maternity leave at 100% pay include:

  • Hungary – 24 weeks

  • Luxembourg – 20 weeks

  • Poland – 20 weeks

  • Chile, Columbia, and Norway – 18 weeks

Countries With the Worst Maternity Leave Policies

Some countries have poor maternity leave policies, just as some countries have more desirable policies. The following information offers insight into countries with lackluster or nonexistent maternity leave policies:

• Botswana and the Solomon Islands have the lowest maternity leave pay rate at 25%.

  The UK and Ireland are also low on the totem pole when it comes to paid maternity leave, only offering 29.5% and 25.7% of an employee’s total pay respectively. In total, 19 countries offer 50% of an employee’s typical payment or less.

• Only 9 United Nations countries offer no paid maternity leave.

  The vast majority of countries offer paid maternity leave, with the few who don’t including:

  • United States

  • Papua New Guinea

  • Marshall Islands

  • Micronesia, Nauru

  • Palau

  • Tonga

  • Lesotho

  • Swaziland

• Only 11 U.S. states offer paid maternity leave.

  The U.S. has no federal law requiring paid maternity leave. However, some states have chosen to implement their own paid maternity leave policies. Here are the states that have implemented their own laws regarding maternity leave:

  U.S. states that offer paid maternity leave

  U.S. States	Maximum Length (in weeks)
  California	8.0
  Colorado	12.0
  Connecticut	12.0
  Delaware	12.0
  Massachusetts	20.0
  New Hampshire	6.0
  New Jersey	12.0
  New York	12.0
  Oregon	12.0
  Rhode Island	30.0
  Washington	12.0

Worldwide Maternity Leave Policies FAQ

1. What country gives the most maternity leave?

   Bulgaria gives the most maternity leave, at 58.6 weeks. Bulgaria also offers a 90% payment rate, which means the average payment equates to an impressive 52.7 weeks.

   Other countries among the top 5 with the lengthiest maternity leave include:

   • Albania – 52 weeks

   • Bosnia & Herzegovina – 52 weeks

   • Montenegro – 52 weeks

   • UK – 39 weeks

2. Where does the U.S. rank in paid maternity leave?

   The U.S. is one of less than 10 countries that doesn’t offer paid maternity leave. The majority of U.S. states – 39 to be exact – have no paid maternity leave policy because it isn’t required by federal law.

   These are the 11 states that do offer paid maternity leave:

   • California

   • Colorado

   • Connecticut

   • Delaware

   • Massachusetts

   • New Hampshire

   • New Jersey

   • New York

   • Oregon

   • Rhode Island

   • Washington

3. What countries do not have maternity leave?

   There are 9 countries in the UN that don’t offer paid maternity leave. Surprisingly for many Americans, the vast majority of countries around the world do offer paid maternity leave. These are the few countries that don’t:

   • United States

   • Papua New Guinea

   • Marshall Islands

   • Micronesia, Nauru

   • Palau

   • Tonga

   • Lesotho

   • Swaziland

4. Do all Americans get paid maternity leave?

   No, not all Americans receive paid maternity leave. Because there is no federal law enforcing paid maternity leave in the U.S., only 11 states require employers to offer it by law.

   More typically, Americans in the 39 other states only receive paid maternity leave if employers choose to offer it. Maternity leave can also be contingent on the type of work performed, with part-time workers and workers in certain industries being less likely to receive it.

5. Which U.S. state has the best maternity leave?

   Massachusetts offers the best-paid maternity leave. This state guarantees 12 weeks of mandatory paid maternity leave, and up to 20 weeks of total leave. While Rhode Island does offer more weeks of leave, the pay is typically not as substantial.

Conclusion

Paid maternity leave is the norm for most countries – over 120 around the world to be exact. 21 of these countries offer 100% of an employee’s pay during their maternity leave.

Unfortunately, the U.S. is one of only 9 countries around the world that doesn’t require employers to offer paid maternity leave, with no federal law requiring it. However, 11 states have taken things into their own hands by creating paid maternity leave laws.

There are only a few places left in the world that don’t require employers to offer paid maternity leave, but this will likely change over time. For example, in the U.S. many people are pushing for all 50 states to require some form of paid maternity leave in the near future.

References

1. ILO – More than 120 Nations Provide Paid Maternity Leave

2. OECD Family Database – PF2.1. Parental leave systems

3. Emerald Technology – Top 5 Countries With The Longest Maternity Leave

4. Velocity Global – Paid Maternity Leave by Country: The Complete Guide for Global HR Teams

5. NCSL – State Family and Medical Leave Laws

Author

Jack Flynn

Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.