Top 10 Countries To Live In Retirement In 2021
Residents of 142 countries regularly search on search engines for the best countries to move to in retirement. This information was analysed by insurance company Money.co.uk and ranked the top 10 most popular countries for retirees. The report also takes into account the preferences of Russians.
Author •Alevtina Kalmuk
Author and editor of articles about investment citizenship and residency
Top 10 Countries To Live In Retirement In 2021
France has proved to be the most popular country for retirement living. People from 20 countries want to move here once they reach retirement age: Italians, Finns, Belgians and people from Africa and Oceania, for example.
France attracts with its mild climate, unhurried way of life, wines and well-developed transport infrastructure, which makes it easy to travel around Europe.
Portugal, Spain and Germany are also in the top ten.
10 most popular countries for retirement
Position
Country
How many nationalities dream of moving
1
France
20
2
Canada
14
3
Argentina
11
4
Portugal
10
5
Australia
9
6
Thailand
9
7
Spain
8
8
Costa Rica
7
9
Germany
7
10
Philippines
5
People from 10 countries want to retire in Portugal. Among them are citizens of Denmark, France, Ireland, Malta and Sweden.
Of all Europeans, only Britons choose Spain for their retirement. The other 7 are from South America and Oceania. Spaniards and Portuguese themselves are interested in retirement living conditions in Brazil and the Caribbean country of Grenada.
Seven countries, including Russia, Turkey, Poland and Bulgaria, are considering Germany for retirement.
France is chosen for its pleasant climate, unhurried way of life, good food, and wine
How to move to countries with better conditions for retirees
To hold a pension in a European country, you must first obtain a residence permit there. In Germany and France, the process will take several years. The applicant must also live in the country and pass language and cultural examinations.
Portugal and Spain offer foreigners an easier way to get a residence permit and even apply for citizenship. In Grenada it is possible to obtain a passport in a few months. To do so, one has to become a participant in an investment programme.
Portugal. To become a participant in an investment programme and obtain a residence permit in Portugal, the applicant chooses one of eight options for investment. More often than not, investors choose to buy a residential property. The minimum value of a residential property is €350,000.
From 2 to 6 months
period for obtaining a residence permit in Portugal
From €350,000
amount of costs for obtaining status
It takes two to six months to obtain a residence permit in Portugal.
Participants in the programme can obtain a residence permit not only for themselves, their spouse and children, but also for parents over the age of 65. Parents will be able to live in Portugal as soon as they receive the status.
A residence permit in Portugal for an investment in a property is granted for the first time for two years. Then the card can be renewed for two years, then for two more years. After five years, you can apply for citizenship.
Ayzere and Amir,
a couple from Kazakhstan
Aizere and Amir, a husband and wife from Kazakhstan, were choosing a country to move to in the European Union. They wanted to live in a warm climate and give a good education to their children. Aizere was planning to open a psychological clinic. Why did the family decide to move to Portugal and how much did they spend on obtaining a residence permit by investment
Examples of properties in Portugal
Portugal, Cascais
€645,000 — €675,000
Apartments in a 5-star resort complex managed by Sheraton
80 m² — 103 m²
1 
1 
Portugal, Albufeira
€1,400,000 — €4,500,000
Apartments and villas in a luxury resort managed by Marriott International194 m² — 386 m²3 3 
Spain. To become a participant in the investment programme and obtain a residence permit in Spain, foreigners need to invest an amount of €500,000 or more in real estate.
Between 2 and 3 months
Time required to obtain a residence permit in Spain
From €500,000
amount of costs for obtaining status
It takes two to three months to obtain a residence permit in Spain.
The first residence permit in Spain for investment is issued for one year. Then the card can be renewed for two years, then for two more. After that, it is possible to obtain a permanent residence permit, and after another five years, citizenship.
If an investor obtains a permanent residence permit in Spain, he must reside in the country for at least 6 months per year. If he obtains citizenship — not only to reside in the country for six months, but also to renounce Russian citizenship.
Grenada is chosen by Portuguese to live in retirement, but it is also available to residents of other countries. To live in Grenada and travel to 144 countries without visas, foreigners obtain Grenada citizenship by investment. This requires a contribution of $150,000 or more to a government fund or the purchase of real estate worth $220,000 or more.
4 to 6 months
Time frame for obtaining citizenship in Grenada
From $150,000
amount of costs for obtaining a passport
It takes 4 to 6 months to obtain Grenada citizenship by investment.
The investor can include not only children but also parents in the citizenship application — without an age limit.
Mikhail and his grandson Yegor,
The investor is a citizen of Grenada. He wants his grandson to graduate ad
Mikhail is a businessman from Moscow. He retired in 2012 and a few years later obtained Grenada citizenship. Now Mikhail comes to the Caribbean every winter and does not see a grey winter. The investor suggested that his grandson should also get Grenada citizenship so that he could enrol in a prestigious university, save on tuition fees and move to the US in the future. How Mikhail’s family obtained Grenada passports by investment
Examples of properties in Grenada
Grenada, St. George's
$270,000 — $350,000
Share or apartments in full ownership in an oceanfront university complex1 1 
Who ranked and how
The research was conducted by the UK financial and insurance company Money.co.uk. The company studied google search queries in 142 countries — and identified the leaders: the more relevant search queries, the higher a country’s position in the rankings. The list of key queries included: "pension in [country]", "live in retirement in [country]"
Immigrant Invest is a licensed investment programme agent in European and Caribbean countries. If you want to move to Portugal, Spain or the Caribbean, seek advice from experts in investment programmes.
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