Singapore is high on global paternity list but is far behind top-ranked South Korea
SINGAPORE: A company from the United Kingdom published its 2026 global paternity leave report, which ranked countries in terms of the most leave and best pay rates.
According to the list from Moorepay, South Korea is at the top, with fathers in that nation allowed to take paid leave of as much as 20 days, and then an additional 18 months’ leave on a decreasing pay scale. During this period, an average wage earner stands to receive £17,803 (approximately S$30,600).
“Adjusted to International Dollars—a hypothetical currency that allows for local spending power—that makes 42,797 International Dollars, which is 38.4% more than in any other country,” the report notes.
Moorepay’s top 10 list includes eight countries in Europe, and the numbers for second and third placers Luxembourg and Sweden, respectively, are not much less than South Korea’s. However, the top-notcher truly stands out, given that in the only other Asian nation in the top 10, Japan, fathers on paid paternity leave receive £5,000 less.
For Singapore, meanwhile, which is 13th on the list, the figure is £6,668 (around S$11,450) or $14,116 International Dollars, though this is better than the 51 countries that offer no paid paternity leave at all, including the United States and New Zealand.
Singaporean fathers receive nine weeks of full pay, compared to 43.4 weeks for South Korea and 27.8 weeks for Japan.
Nevertheless, Singaporean dads on paternity leave have it the best among their counterparts in Southeast Asia. In second place in the region is Thailand, where fathers on paternity leave receive £236 (S$405), or three weeks of full pay.
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The Moorepay report underlined the importance of paternity leave not just for fathers but for families as a whole. It quoted Dr Craig Garfield as saying, “Bottom line, mental health and paternity leave are linked. Our findings underscore that paternal leave is not just a workplace benefit; it’s a public health issue that can deeply impact families and children.” /TISG
Read also: Paternity leave has not boosted rate of parents having more than one child: NUS study