WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Do adoptive families have access to as much paid parental leave as birth families?

To compare the duration of leave available for adoptive families with that available for birth families, we considered only paid leave available after the birth of an infant. In most countries, birth parents may take paid leave prior to delivery to support their health. The duration of paid leave available prior to delivery is excluded from calculations.

No paid parental leave means that there is no paid leave available for parents for either the birth or adoption of an infant.

No paid parental leave for adoptive families means that while there is paid leave available for birth parents, there are no specific provisions for parents who legally adopt an infant.

Paid leave for fostering an infant or for fostering to adopt an infant is not included unless the same policy applies to adoption leave. In some countries, paid leave for adoption is only available for infants or the duration is longer.

Countries

Marshall Islands - No paid parental leave

Micronesia, Federated States of - No paid parental leave

Nauru - No paid parental leave

Palau - No paid parental leave

Papua New Guinea - No paid parental leave

Tonga - No paid parental leave

United States of America - No paid parental leave

Afghanistan - No paid leave for adoptive families

Algeria - No paid leave for adoptive families

Angola - No paid leave for adoptive families

Antigua and Barbuda - No paid leave for adoptive families

Argentina - No paid leave for adoptive families

Bahamas - No paid leave for adoptive families

Bahrain - No paid leave for adoptive families

Bangladesh - No paid leave for adoptive families

Barbados - No paid leave for adoptive families

Belize - No paid leave for adoptive families

Benin - No paid leave for adoptive families

Bhutan - No paid leave for adoptive families

Bolivia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Botswana - No paid leave for adoptive families

Brunei - No paid leave for adoptive families

Burkina Faso - No paid leave for adoptive families

Burundi - No paid leave for adoptive families

Cambodia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Cameroon - No paid leave for adoptive families

Cabo Verde - No paid leave for adoptive families

Central African Republic - No paid leave for adoptive families

Chad - No paid leave for adoptive families

China - No paid leave for adoptive families

Comoros - No paid leave for adoptive families

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No paid leave for adoptive families

Republic of the Congo - No paid leave for adoptive families

Cote d'Ivoire - No paid leave for adoptive families

Cuba - No paid leave for adoptive families

Djibouti - No paid leave for adoptive families

Dominica - No paid leave for adoptive families

Dominican Republic - No paid leave for adoptive families

Egypt - No paid leave for adoptive families

Equatorial Guinea - No paid leave for adoptive families

Eritrea - No paid leave for adoptive families

Ethiopia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Fiji - No paid leave for adoptive families

Gabon - No paid leave for adoptive families

The Gambia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Ghana - No paid leave for adoptive families

Grenada - No paid leave for adoptive families

Guinea - No paid leave for adoptive families

Guinea-Bissau - No paid leave for adoptive families

Guyana - No paid leave for adoptive families

Haiti - No paid leave for adoptive families

Indonesia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Iran - No paid leave for adoptive families

Iraq - No paid leave for adoptive families

Jamaica - No paid leave for adoptive families

Jordan - No paid leave for adoptive families

Kiribati - No paid leave for adoptive families

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No paid leave for adoptive families

Kuwait - No paid leave for adoptive families

Laos - No paid leave for adoptive families

Lebanon - No paid leave for adoptive families

Lesotho - No paid leave for adoptive families

Liberia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Libya - No paid leave for adoptive families

Liechtenstein - No paid leave for adoptive families

Madagascar - No paid leave for adoptive families

Malawi - No paid leave for adoptive families

Malaysia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Maldives - No paid leave for adoptive families

Mali - No paid leave for adoptive families

Mauritania - No paid leave for adoptive families

Morocco - No paid leave for adoptive families

Mozambique - No paid leave for adoptive families

Namibia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Nepal - No paid leave for adoptive families

Niger - No paid leave for adoptive families

Nigeria - No paid leave for adoptive families

Oman - No paid leave for adoptive families

Pakistan - No paid leave for adoptive families

The Philippines - No paid leave for adoptive families

Qatar - No paid leave for adoptive families

Rwanda - No paid leave for adoptive families

Samoa - No paid leave for adoptive families

Saudi Arabia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Senegal - No paid leave for adoptive families

Seychelles - No paid leave for adoptive families

Sierra Leone - No paid leave for adoptive families

Solomon Islands - No paid leave for adoptive families

Somalia - No paid leave for adoptive families

South Sudan - No paid leave for adoptive families

Sri Lanka - No paid leave for adoptive families

St. Kitts and Nevis - No paid leave for adoptive families

St. Lucia - No paid leave for adoptive families

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No paid leave for adoptive families

Sudan - No paid leave for adoptive families

Eswatini - No paid leave for adoptive families

Switzerland - No paid leave for adoptive families

Syria - No paid leave for adoptive families

Tanzania - No paid leave for adoptive families

Thailand - No paid leave for adoptive families

Timor-Leste - No paid leave for adoptive families

Togo - No paid leave for adoptive families

Trinidad and Tobago - No paid leave for adoptive families

Tunisia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Uganda - No paid leave for adoptive families

United Arab Emirates - No paid leave for adoptive families

Vanuatu - No paid leave for adoptive families

Yemen - No paid leave for adoptive families

Zambia - No paid leave for adoptive families

Zimbabwe - No paid leave for adoptive families

Andorra - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Brazil - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Canada - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Croatia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Ecuador - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Estonia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Georgia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Greece - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Greenland - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Guatemala - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Hungary - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

India - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Kenya - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Republic of Korea - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Lithuania - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

North Macedonia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Malta - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Mauritius - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Monaco - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Mongolia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Montenegro - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Myanmar - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

The Netherlands - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Panama - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Paraguay - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Peru - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Portugal - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Romania - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Sao Tome and Principe - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Serbia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Slovenia - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

South Africa - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Suriname - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Türkiye - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Uruguay - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Vietnam - Adoptive families have less leave than birth families

Albania - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Armenia - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Australia - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Austria - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Azerbaijan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Belarus - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Belgium - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Bulgaria - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Chile - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Colombia - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Costa Rica - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Cyprus - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Czech Republic - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Denmark - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

El Salvador - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Finland - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

France - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Germany - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Honduras - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Iceland - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Ireland - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Israel - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Italy - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Japan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Kazakhstan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Kyrgyzstan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Latvia - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Luxembourg - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Mexico - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Moldova - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

New Zealand - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Nicaragua - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Norway - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Poland - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Russian Federation - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

San Marino - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Singapore - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Slovakia - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Spain - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Sweden - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Tajikistan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Turkmenistan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Tuvalu - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Ukraine - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

United Kingdom - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Uzbekistan - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families

Venezuela - Equal duration of leave for adoptive families