A mother sits with her child on the lab, while she is working from home

In 2021, in the EU, half of all children aged less than three years were cared for exclusively by their parents. At national level, the highest shares were recorded in Romania (77%), Czechia (72%) and Bulgaria (68%).

On the other hand, in 2021, 36% of children aged less than 3 were in formal care for at least one hour per week. Among the EU countries, the Netherlands recorded the highest share (74%), followed by Denmark (69%) and Luxembourg (62%). 

 

Bar chart: Childcare arrangements in the EU, % of children aged less than 3 years, 2021

Source datasets: ilc_caparents and ilc_caindformal 

 

Finally, less than a quarter (21%) were cared for by professional child-minders, grandparents, other household members (excluding parents), other relatives, friends or neighbors. In the Netherlands and Cyprus (both 45%), followed by Greece (44%), this form of care was prevalent.