Paternity Leave in Europe 2025: Which Countries Have the Best Policies?

Parental leave policy in Europe has changed significantly over the past decade, with a growing emphasis on making leave available to fathers and non-birthing parents as an independent entitlement rather than simply as a transfer from the mother's leave. The EU Work-Life Balance Directive of 2019, which member states were required to implement by August 2022, established a minimum entitlement of ten days' paid paternity leave across the EU. But the variation between member states goes well beyond this minimum, with some of the world's most generous paternity leave policies found in Scandinavia and the Baltics.

This guide compares paternity and parental leave entitlements for fathers and second parents across Europe in 2025, looking at both the length of leave and the level of pay. Our EU maternity and parental leave comparison tool covers the full picture of parental leave rights across European countries.

The Nordic leaders: Sweden, Norway and Finland

Scandinavian countries have the most developed and longest-standing paternity leave policies in the world. Sweden's parental leave system gives each parent 240 days of parental benefit, with 90 days designated as a non-transferable individual entitlement for each parent, known as "daddy days" in popular usage. Parents can share the remaining days between them in any combination. The benefit level is 80% of income up to a ceiling for the first 390 days per parent, making it financially viable for fathers to take substantial leave rather than just the statutory minimum.

Norway operates a similar system with a father's quota of 15 weeks at 100% pay (or 19 weeks at 80% pay). Finland introduced major reforms in 2022 that gave each parent an equal 160 days of parental leave regardless of gender, replacing a system where mothers received most of the entitlement. Iceland goes furthest of the Nordic countries, with each parent receiving 90 days of personal parental leave plus 90 days to share between them, at 80% of income with a relatively high cap.

Germany and France: different approaches

Germany has a parental leave system built on the Elterngeld parental allowance, which pays 65% to 67% of net income for up to 14 months if both parents take leave. The system incentivises father involvement by requiring the second parent to take at least two months of the 14 months to unlock the full entitlement. A couple where only the mother takes leave can access 12 months; if the father takes at least two months, they can access 14 months combined. The Elterngeld+ variant allows longer leave at half the monthly payment, used by parents who return to part-time work.

France provides a paternity and welcome leave of 25 days for the second parent (28 days for multiple births), including a mandatory seven-day period immediately following the birth that cannot be waived. Payment during paternity leave in France is through the health insurance system at approximately 90% of salary up to a cap. French parental leave beyond the initial paternity period is typically unpaid or very modestly paid, with a parental education allowance available for parents who reduce working hours or stop work entirely for a period.

Southern and Eastern Europe

Southern European countries have historically lagged on paternity leave provision, though the EU Work-Life Balance Directive has pushed minimum floors upward. Italy provides 10 days of compulsory paternity leave paid at 100% of salary through the social security system. Spain has made significant progress and now offers 16 weeks of paternity leave paid at 100% of salary, placing it among the most generous in the EU for fathers and matching the maternity leave entitlement in duration.

Portugal introduced major reforms following the EU directive and provides 20 mandatory working days of shared parental leave for fathers plus 15 optional days. Poland provides 2 weeks of paternity leave, though there is ongoing pressure to increase this. Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have relatively short dedicated paternity leave entitlements but lengthy shared parental leave systems that parents can theoretically share, though in practice uptake by fathers remains low in these countries.

The UK: how it compares

UK statutory paternity leave is among the shortest in Europe at just two weeks, with statutory paternity pay of £187.18 per week for 2025/26, the same rate as the flat rate of statutory maternity pay. This is considerably below the income replacement rate offered by most EU countries. Some UK employers provide enhanced paternity pay above the statutory level, but this varies significantly by employer and sector.

The UK does have shared parental leave, which allows couples to share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay between them. In theory this is one of the more flexible systems, allowing fathers to take the majority of the parental leave if that is what the couple prefers. In practice, take-up of shared parental leave by fathers has been low because the pay rate is identical regardless of which parent takes the leave, meaning families where the father earns more face a financial disincentive to have the father take extended leave. Reforming the pay structure to account for income replacement is a frequently discussed policy change that has not yet been implemented.

For a detailed comparison of maternity leave provisions across Europe including the full context of parental leave systems, our EU maternity leave tool and our article on UK vs EU maternity leave provide the full picture.

Why paternity leave length matters beyond the individual

Research consistently shows that countries with generous, well-paid, and non-transferable paternity leave see higher father take-up and better long-term outcomes for gender equality in the labour market. When fathers take extended leave, it tends to increase their involvement in childcare for years afterwards, reduce the motherhood penalty on women's earnings, and narrow the gender pay gap. The Nordic countries that pioneered these policies have also seen the smallest gender pay gaps in Europe, and the correlation between generous paternity leave and gender equality outcomes is now well-established in economic research.

For workers evaluating job offers and comparing employment conditions across European countries, parental leave provision is an increasingly important component of the overall employment package. Our EU salary comparison tool allows you to compare income levels across countries, but parental leave, healthcare, pension rights, and notice period entitlements are also meaningful components of the total employment offer that deserve consideration alongside gross salary.