Nordic Spotlight

The Global Child Forum Benchmark Report is essential reading for the corporate and financial sectors, and all stakeholders in society striving for positive change in the lives of children.

Here we place Nordic companies under the spotlight, assessing what our latest study reveals about their commitment to responsible business practices, as well as the broader European children’s rights and business landscape.

How did companies in the Nordics perform? 

• Nordic region: Key highlights
• Context and insights
• The Nordic Leaderboard 2025
• Data and trends
• Next steps

The Nordics – Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – continue to set the global standard for integrating children’s rights into corporate practice, as reflected in their leading scores.

This performance is particularly strong in the impact areas of Governance & Collaboration, where Nordic companies demonstrate strong board-level oversight, and Workplace, marked by clear commitments to prevent child labour and support parents and caregivers through targeted programs and policies. 

However, the Nordics’ high maturity presents a new challenge. With many foundational practices potentially already established, the data suggests progress is becoming more incremental, as indicated by a lower year-on-year growth rate compared to emerging regions. This slowdown raises the question of whether a performance plateau is being reached. 

• Setting the bar: Nordic companies continue to lead globally, with an average score of 6.3 out of 10, outperforming both Western Europe (5.4) and the global average (5.0). Notably, two Swedish companies—Tele2 and Telia—rank among the global top 15, holding the #2 and #4 positions, respectively. 

• Areas of strength: Governance & Collaboration and Workplace lead, with high scores driven by board-level oversight, robust grievance mechanisms, and well-implemented child labour policies and reporting practices.  

• Still progress to make: Marketplace remains a key area for improvement, with less than 20% of the consumer-facing companies demonstrating a formal commitment to produce products and services that respect and support children’s rights. 

• Stakeholder Engagement progresses: Five Nordic companies actively consult children or their representatives as part of their external stakeholder dialogues. 

• Companies at the top: Nordic companies—Tele2, Telia, Nokia, and Telenor—make up four of the global top 15 in the Technology & Telecommunications sector, underscoring the region’s leadership in advancing children’s rights through digital innovation.