The best place to retire abroad is no longer in Europe – but six of the top ten are
European destinations scored highly in a new global retirement ranking, with six countries among the top ten, as people looking to retire abroad weigh higher taxes against quality of life.
Uruguay has claimed the top spot in a new global retirement ranking, surpassing Portugal which held the previous year's lead. Despite Europe's strong representation with six countries in the top ten, the Americas hold three places and Mauritius ranks second globally. The 2026 retirement index evaluates 46 retirement and passive-income programs based on quality of life, travel freedom, routes to citizenship, taxation, application procedures, and costs.
European programs excel in living standards, strong passports, and citizenship routes, while the Americas stand out for affordability and favorable taxation. Mauritius leads in Africa's performance. European programs score well in quality of life and mobility but lag behind in taxation, with wide disparities in tax policies. The United Arab Emirates ranks first for preferential tax regimes in the Middle East.
Strong passports and clear citizenship routes contribute to high scores for European and Latin American programs.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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