UK kids cost a fortune
Britain tops the league in Europe for the cost of raising a child.
The research was carried out by the friendly society Liverpool Victoria, based on figures from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, an independent business consultancy.
The research found it took £140,000 to raise a child to adulthood in a typical two-parent working household – almost £3,000 more than the cost of an average house.
Every child from infancy to the age of 21 cost £129 a week, or seven thousand pounds a year.
Child costs in Britain were 33 per cent higher than in Spain, 30 per cent more than in France and 26 per cent more than in Sweden.
Italy and Germany came in second and third place respectively in the league table.
Spain was found to be the cheapest country to raise a child, with parents spending less than £100,000 per child.
The Japanese government is currently offering the equivalent of £1,700 for every birth in a bid to stimulate a baby boom.
