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50 Small Yet Genius Things Some Countries Do That The Rest Of The World Needs Immediately
Interview With Expert
Depending on where you live, you might be a massive fan of your government or feel extremely disappointed in and overlooked by every politician your nation has.
As frustrating as keeping up with the news can be, it can also be refreshing to hear a reminder every once in a while that some governments actually do care about their citizens. And this list is full of beautiful examples!
Bored Panda has scoured the internet to find the most creative, innovative, and thoughtful ways countries worldwide are taking care of their residents.
From providing free sunscreen on the beach to giving care packages to pregnant moms, we hope you enjoy scrolling through these photos that should restore a bit of your faith in humanity (or encourage you to move to another country).
And keep reading to find a conversation with King Siu about travel, eating, and drinking!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Finland's Maternity Box - The Box Every Pregnant Woman In Finland Gets. Mine Came Today So I Thought I'd Show You All What I Got
We picked up the box from the post office, and even Simba was excited.
There is a snow suit, hat, mittens, and another warm body suit. Sleeping bag and sheet. Hats, balaclava, pads, socks, tights, and the small bag has a little book, a toy, condoms, and some other small baby hygiene products.
There's a cloth diaper, and a towel, but the rest is almost all clothing in various styles and forms, all gender-neutral. The bottom of the box is also a mattress, so the baby is able to use it as a bed at the beginning of her life. All of the clothes are very high quality, and a good chunk of what came in the box was made in Finland or by Finnish companies.
KnightOwl 1 year ago (edited)
Scotland has these too, we copied it from Finland. Ours have a lot more in them than what's pictured here and things for the mum as well as baby. Every pregnant person can get one through their midwife and it's completely free. (There are videos on YouTube showing people opening them and showing whats inside for anyone who's interested.)
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#2
Meanwhile In Canada
#3
A Copy Of The Bill We Got When Our Daughter Was Born In Canada
Tamra 1 year ago (edited)
To the two people who commented about taxes: AND? What's your point? Yes, their taxes fund healthcare. Which means they ACTUALLY get some benefit from paying taxes. I don't know about either of you, but I've been paying taxes in the US all my life, and rarely see any benefit from it. But hey, at least our tax money is subsidizing Musk's companies and a bloated military, right? At least we have that. 🙄
#4
Free Vegetable Leaves For Pets In My Local Supermarket‘S Produce Section
#5
If Someone Cuts Down A Tree For Their View In Australia, Government Installs Sign To Block The View
2x4b523p 1 year ago
Looking at trees is the best view. We had beautiful row of trees outside our house, provided shade and privacy, birds singing all day. Then a storm took them down. Everybody was telling me how amazing that the trees are gone because now we have “view” of the ocean. Boring blueish grey mass, I was sad every time I looked out of the window. We don’t live there anymore, hope the trees are allowed to grow back.
#6
In Singapore, Elderly Pedestrians Can Tap Their Identity Card To Have More Time At The Pedestrian Crossing
#7
Dearest American Friends, This Is What A Public Toilet Should Look Like, Love From Europe
Jan Rosier 1 year ago
All this b******g about having to pay for a public toilet (we have them in Belgium too)... get over it. 70 eurocents is peanuts for a clean toilet.
#8
Free School Lunch In Stockholm, Sweden
Brittania Kelli 1 year ago
Stockholm is a beautiful city where people are very accepting of others regardless of their sexuality, no one cares, because it's not their business. They're pretty tolerant. I believe in the paradox of intolerance; in order to have a tolerant society you must be intolerant to hate.
#9
Bus Stop With A Little Library In Brittany, France
DetriMentaL (It/That) 1 year ago
"I'll catch my bus on the next chapter" 5 hours later.. "Oi! Who turned the sun off?"
#10
There Is A Swing Made For Wheelchairs At This Park In Mexico
#11
In Amsterdam, You Can Spot These Little ‘Menstruation Stations’ Where Anyone In Need Can Grab Tampons, Napkins, And Cups For Free
#12
This Is The Medicine I Take Once Every Two Weeks, Which Allows Me To Live A Fairly Normal Life. If I Had To Pay Myself, They Would Cost 6,129 Dkk/1,126 USD. Thank You Universal Health Care
#13
An Old Telephone Booth Now Used As A Free Book Exchange, In A Tiny Village In France
#14
Here In Switzerland, We Have Vending Machines Just For Selling Cheese
#15
Hospital Food In Australia 🇦🇺
Beth Wheeler 1 year ago
I always had good food the 4 times in my life that I was in the hospital. My 2 kids, thyroid surgery and reflux surgery.
#16
This Bottle Of Vinegar Is Official First Aid For Jellyfish Stings On A Beach In Australia
#17
Average College Cafeteria Meal In France (Public University, €3.30)
#18
The Beaches Here In The Netherlands Have Free Sunscreen Dispensers
#19
In Rotterdam We Have Free Public Bike Repair Stations
#20
Book Tree In Arbone-La-Foret, France
#21
The Toilet Paper In Peru Has A Smaller Paper Roll In Its Centre, To Be Taken On Trips/Purse
Sergio Bicerra 1 year ago
Sadly, didn't last too long (I'm from Perú) Without the inner roll it becomes a soggy mass of toilet paper you have to forceably pull to make it roll in the holder and broke in single pieces every time.
#22
My City Has Public Defibrillation Stations And The Sign For It Looks Like A Video Game Health Bar
#23
There Are Bins Along Cycle Paths In The Netherlands Which Allow You To Throw Out Rubbish Without Slowing Down
#24
Lifeboat Weather Forecasting System Is Littlestone, UK
#25
I’m From Australia And Recently Turned 17, And Got A Birthday Card From The Government To Enrol To Vote
Ariom Dahl 1 year ago
It is compulsory in Australia to vote in state and federal elections. Although I must admit that really means you receive a voting slip, have your name marked off and must hand the voting slip in.
#26
A Wine Vending Machine In Germany
Ghostpotato 1 year ago
Love that it seems to be in the middle of nowhere! Take a nice hike, grab a bottle of wine, sit down and relax and enjoy nature... So much better than going to a bar!
#27
This Is How Much An Emergency Ambulance Ride Ended Up Costing Me In Germany (10.00€)
Mother of Giants 1 year ago
Just got a similar bill for myself..... $1642.76...... For a 7.5 mile trip. And I have what's considered "good" health coverage. Wanna guess where I live?
#28
$320 Pesos ($16 Dollars) Of Vegetables And Fruits Here In México
Katharina Sei. 1 year ago (edited)
The average income / year in Mexico is also ~12000 dollars a year while in the USA it is ~80000 dollars. Converted accordingly it would be ~106$. (Data from https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php?country1=MEX&country2=USA)
#29
New Seoul Subway Trains Tell You How Crowded Each Cell Is By Colour
#30
My City Has A Lot Of Capybaras So We Have These Special Signs Warning Drivers To Be Mindful Of Them
#31
Here In Sweden, The Ice-Cream Truck Goes Around. All Year Long
Sally Moen 1 year ago
Tell us what is the commonly played music on your ice cream trucks? In my area of the US, it's predominantly Turkey In The Straw (a bluegrass song)
#32
0.81€ Meal In A Turkish Uni
#33
The Horrible Cost Of A Four Day Hospital Stay In Australia. (TV Hire)
#34
How A Prison Cell In Denmark Looks Like
nottheactualphoto 1 year ago
Here, they probably wouldn't allow the drapes or the lamp cord. Because we don't want any hangin's.
#35
For Anyone Curious, This Is What A Birthing Suite Looks Like In A Public Danish Hospital
#36
In Australia When You Turn 50 The Federal Government Sends You A Kit To Poop In And Send Back To Them
#37
LED Bathroom Handles At Train Station In Sweden Change Colors Based On Occupancy
Aroace tiger (she/they/he) 1 year ago
Omg im dumb, i thought tge doors themselves changed colour and i was trying to work out what all of the different colours meant
#38
In Switzerland, In Most Vending Machines There Is A Pregnancy Test Called Maybe Baby
#39
Prison Cell In Halden, Norway. Anders Breivik Is Complaining About Inhumane Conditions In This Prison
#40
Sun Clock In Valencia, Spain
#41
Mascots On Sugary Cereal (And All Candy) Censored In México To Fight Childhood Obesity
Earonn - 1 year ago
For those who wonder: In his book "Ultra Processed People" a MD, Chris van Tulleken (UK) talked about this, and apparently it works. The book is recommended if you wonder what all the additional chemicals in your food do, and if they are actually good for you or only good for the producer's bank account.
#42
Meanwhile, In Canada
Mother of Giants 1 year ago
And here I am in the Midwest of the US and I just saw a dozen eggs priced at $9.72. Question to everyone that voted for the Cheeto (because I didn't)--Weren't we supposed to see grocery prices come down like 3 months ago?? What happened with that?? Cuz we're still waiting and getting angrier about it with each passing day.
#43
You Get A Show-Cause Notice On Failure To Vote In Australia
#44
How This Korean Coffee Shop Minimizes Its Trash Volume With This Cup Stacking System
#45
I'm From The Netherlands & We Have Vending Machines For Eggs
#46
My Local Library In The Netherlands Has These Flaps To Prevent Rain Falling On Your Bike Saddle
#47
Some Buses In Switzerland Now Have USB-C Ports In Addition To USB-A
Andreas Deml 6 months ago
A question from the german public transport system: What the heck is USB?
#48
This Tram In Australia Has A Place To Hold Your Surfboard While Travelling To/From The Beach
Sally Moen 1 year ago
Looks very similar to bicycle parking on greater Seattle area light rail, just slightly more narrow
#49
This Park In Germany Has A Special Container For Pizza Boxes
#50
A Air Conditioned "Dog Parking" Outside A Mall In Sweden
#51
We Have A Self-Driving Bus In My City
#52
Traffic Light In Sweden Letting Blind People Feel The Road Layout
#53
Our Toasters Are Longer In Germany Since We Have Long Bread Slices
Sandra Bartsch 1 year ago
Speaking as a German: these are originally made for toasting two slices of toastbread at the same time.
#54
In Mexico, Fake Police Patrols Are Put In Roads To Make Drivers Slow Down On Dangerous Highways
#55
‘Pay Phones’ In Australia Are All Free
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
All you have to do is find a working one that hasn't been vandalised.
#56
How The Crosswalks In The UK Tell You What Direction To Look Before Crossing
#58
This Extra High Traffic Light Button For Horseriders In The Netherlands
#59
School Lunch In South Korea
#60
There Is A Sauna At This Burger King In Helsinki
#61
Puppy Parking At Our New Post Office
#62
In Washington, Dc, You Can Ask Local Agencies To Speak Your Language. We Have Cards You Can Give To Government Workers To Remind Them
#64
Garbage Sorting Sweden
#65
A Double Ended Bus In Malmo, Sweden
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What do you think ?
Dusty's mom 1 year ago
The US government will say "it's not free - taxpayers are paying for those amenities". Yeah, they are, and it seems to be working fine. I wouldn't mind higher taxes for things like these. I'd also like for the elite to pay their fair share in taxes. 😒🙄
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Per capita spending on healthcare is higher in the US than anywhere else, while coverage is below developed country level. So universal healthcare could be cheaper. And don't forget, taxes go up but insurance premiums disappear. And you wouldn't even have to touch "defense" spending.
Load More Replies...
Dan Cone 1 year ago
In Denmark they have Slow checkout at supermarkets (designed for older people who enjoy the chat). They also have People libraries where you borrow a person for half an hour and they tell you their story. Some places have bubblewrap libraries where you can take when stressed and leave a donation of a new roll if you want
Rick Murray 1 year ago
Bubble wrap library? Like different sorts of bubble wrap? Um, so why do I find that idea oddly appealing?
Load More Replies... Dusty's mom 1 year ago
The US government will say "it's not free - taxpayers are paying for those amenities". Yeah, they are, and it seems to be working fine. I wouldn't mind higher taxes for things like these. I'd also like for the elite to pay their fair share in taxes. 😒🙄
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
Per capita spending on healthcare is higher in the US than anywhere else, while coverage is below developed country level. So universal healthcare could be cheaper. And don't forget, taxes go up but insurance premiums disappear. And you wouldn't even have to touch "defense" spending.
Load More Replies... Dan Cone 1 year ago
In Denmark they have Slow checkout at supermarkets (designed for older people who enjoy the chat). They also have People libraries where you borrow a person for half an hour and they tell you their story. Some places have bubblewrap libraries where you can take when stressed and leave a donation of a new roll if you want
Rick Murray 1 year ago
Bubble wrap library? Like different sorts of bubble wrap? Um, so why do I find that idea oddly appealing?
Load More Replies...
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