The 20 Best Places for Canadians to Retire Around the World

Which countries are the world’s best places for retirees? French asset management firm Natixis Global Asset Management and CoreData Research have studied 43 nations for their 2017 Global Retirement Index. They assigned each country a score in four categories: finances in retirement, including taxes, interest rates and inflation; material wellbeing; quality of life; and health, including life expectancy and health expenditure. These are the 20 best places to retire globally, according to their report.

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20. Israel

Israel is one of two countries with a global retirement index of 71%, pushing it into 20th place overall. It scores 79% for quality of life, 70% for finances in retirement and 61% for material wellbeing. However, its score of 76% for health is the lowest among the top 20.

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19. France

France has a global retirement index of 71%. It scores 90% for health, 79% for quality of life, and 61% for finances in retirement and material wellbeing.

View of the city centre of Cambridge (UK) as seen from the bell tower of a church.

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18. United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is one of three countries with a global retirement index of 72%. 18th overall, the country scores 83% for health, 81% for quality of life, 68% for material wellbeing and 58% for finances in retirement.

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17. United States

The United States ranks 17th, with a global retirement index of 72%. The country scores 87% for health, 78% for quality of life and 71% for finances in retirement. However, it has the lowest ranking among the top 20 for material wellbeing, with a score of 57%.

Church of Our Lady Before Tyn in Prague, Czech Republic

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16. Czech Republic

The only one of the former East Bloc countries in the top 20, the Czech Republic comes in 16th overall, with a global retirement index of 72%. The Czech Republic scores 76% for material wellbeing, 70% for health and 68% for finances in retirement. Its 75% for quality of life is the lowest among the top 20.

Brabo Fountain and guild houses at Grote Markt, Antwerp, Belgium

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15. Belgium

Fifteenth overall, Belgium has a global retirement index of 73%. The country scores 82% for health, 78% for quality of life, 70% for material wellbeing and 62% for finances in retirement.

Ross Castle reflected in Lough Leane at Killarney, Co.Kerry, Ireland

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14. Ireland

Ireland comes in 14th, with a global retirement index of 74%. The Emerald Isle scores 83% for quality of life, 82% for health, 71% for finances in retirement and 64% for material wellbeing.

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13. Austria

Austria has a global retirement index of 75%, placing it 13th overall. The country scores 86% for quality of life, 85% for health and 75% for material wellbeing. With a score of 55%, it ranks lowest among the top 20 for finances in retirement.

Northern lights and barn in countryside landscape

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12. Finland

Finland is one of three countries with a global retirement index of 76%. The country scores 92% for quality of life, 81% for health and 68% for material wellbeing and 65% for finances in retirement.

Valley of the Ten Peaks is a valley in Banff National Park in Alberta

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11. Canada

We're including Canada to give you an idea of how it ranks in comparison to the rest of the world. Canada is the top country for retirees in the Americas, with a global retirement index of 76%. Canada scores 87% for health, 81% for quality of life, 73% for finances in retirement and 65% for material wellbeing.

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10. Luxembourg

Luxembourg comes in 10th, with a global retirement index of 76%. The country has the highest score among the top 20 for health: 92%. Luxembourg also scores 77% for material wellbeing and quality of life, and 62% for finances in retirement.

Traditional Dutch house decorated with the national flag on Kingsday in Amsterdam the Netherlands

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9. Netherlands

The Netherlands is one of three countries with a global retirement index of 77%. Ranked in 9th place, the country scores 89% for health, 81% for quality of life, 75% for material wellbeing and 64% for finances in retirement.

Christiansborg waving the Danish flag on Constitution Day, Copenhagen, Denmark

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8. Denmark

In 8th place, Denmark has a global retirement index of 77%. Denmark has the highest rank of the top 20 countries for quality of life, with a score of 94%. It also scores 84% for health, 75% for material wellbeing and 59% for finances in retirement.

Long exposure of Cologne, Germany and Rhine river on a cold and foggy winter night

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7. Germany

Germany takes 7th place with a global retirement index of 77%. The country scores 86% for health, 82% for quality of life, 76% for material wellbeing and 66% for finances in retirement.

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6. Australia

In 6th place, Australia has a global retirement index of 78%. The land Down Under scores 85% for health, 84% for quality of life, 77% for finances in retirement and 66% for material wellbeing.

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5. New Zealand

The top non-European country on the list, New Zealand makes 5th place overall with a global retirement index of 80%. New Zealand scores 91% for quality of life, 85% for health, 79% for finances in retirement – the highest ranking among the top 20 in this category – and 66% for material wellbeing.

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4. Sweden

With a global retirement index of 80%, Sweden is in 4th place. The country scores 91% for quality of life and 86% for health but has lower scores of 75% for material wellbeing and 69% for finances in retirement.

People bathing in The Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, Iceland

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3. Iceland

Iceland comes in 3rd with a global retirement index of 82%. The country scores 88% for quality of life, 88% for material wellbeing, 84% for health and 70% for finances in retirement.

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2. Switzerland

Switzerland is in 2nd place with a global retirement index of 84%. It ranks very high in all four categories, with 92% for quality of life, 87% for health, 81% for material wellbeing and 77% for finances in retirement.

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1. Norway

With an overall global retirement index of 86%, Norway tops the list of best countries for retirees. With a score of 91%, the country ranks highest for material wellbeing. Norway also scores 92% for quality of life, 89% for health and 73% for finances in retirement.