The 2026 Global Retirement Index: Top 10 Countries
The top 10 retirement destinations ranked by RetireScore. Every number shows its source and the date it was last checked. No hype, no sponsored paradise lists.
Where should you retire abroad in 2026? The RetireSpots Global Retirement Index ranks 55 countries on the six things that actually decide it: healthcare, retiree-visa rules, cost of living, safety, climate, and expat community. Every number shows its source and the date we last checked it.
The RetireScore is a weighted composite of six axes, each 0-100, built entirely from public, verifiable data. You can adjust the weights yourself on any country page to match what matters to you.
The ranking
#1
Portugal
Europe
Portugal
86/100
#2
Chile
Latin America
Chile
84/100
#3
Costa Rica
Latin America
Costa Rica
81/100
#4
Cyprus
Europe
Cyprus
79/100
#5
Mauritius
Africa
Mauritius
79/100
#6
Malaysia
Asia
Malaysia
78/100
#7
Uruguay
Latin America
Uruguay
78/100
#8
Albania
Europe
Albania
77/100Some axes rest on partial data
Explore Albania
#9
Italy
Europe
Italy
77/100
#10
Panama
Latin America
Panama
77/100The methodology
Each of six axes (healthcare 25%, visa friendliness 20%, affordability 20%, safety 15%, climate 10%, community 10%) is scored 0-100 from verifiable public data. Weights are adjustable on every country page. A field we cannot verify stays empty and scores a neutral 50, flagged as unverified. The ranking is honest: a missing field does not help or hurt a country's score, but we tell you it is missing.
Full 55-country ranking How the RetireScore works Browse all countries