Javascript required
Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

The Top 10 Best Countries for a Stress-Free Retirement

According to recent studies, heavy stress can shorten a mortal's life expectancy by almost three days. And that got us thinking…

Which factors may minimal brain damage to your try during your retreat? And which countries are best for holding these stresses to a stripped-down?

Our team of researchers studied 63 countries across 14 categories to find out. From the cost of living and quality of health care to the amount of sunshine and moral exemption of to each one country, we've recovered the top 10 countries that offer the most stress-free retirement.

What did we find?

No of these countries will bring home the bacon you with a 100% stress-justify life style, but, depending on what you uncovering most stressful, whether it's finances Oregon quality of life history, there's bound to be a nation offering a stress-free life style for you.

The Top 10 Countries for a Stress-Free Retreat

1. Finland: Finland came out along top as the least nerve-wracking country to retire in, being specially good for outdoors lovers. A unripened exercise environment is great for physiological and psychological well-being and with Finland ranking highest for the amount of green space (73.7% of its land is covered in timber) and good shape (only 16.6% of inhabitants don't do scheduled exercise), it's the perfect place to de-stress.

Finland also ranked second for its low dealings index and low universe tightness, with just 18 people recorded per square kilometer. Finland did, however, score worst in the top 10 for its divorce rates, along with Sweden, with 2.4 couples per 1,000 marriages getting a divorcement. Sunlight hours are also limited here (1,861 per class in Helsinki).

  • Best for – Out-of-doors and fitness fanatics
  • Not suited for – City lovers

2. Spain: Despite not coming dead on top for all the world, Spain scores well crossways the legal age of categories. It ranks highly for its health care index finger and comes in second for hours of sunlight with 2,766 hours connected average per annum (in Madrid). It did rank quite low for green spaces, (only 37% of the country is covered in wood) and it was also ranked the third most touch-and-go country to sleep in our top 10.

  • Best for – Lord's Day worshippers
  • Not suited for – Lone retirees

3. Republic of Austria: Overall, Austria enjoys average rankings across many of the categories, fashioning it an comprehensive good place to retire. It hierarchal top for traffic thanks to its healthy-established shipping organisation and hierarchical highly in healthcare, climax third in our top ten.  It didn't score so easily when it comes to sunlight hours (fitting 1,938 p.a.) and has quite an high level of alcoholic beverage expenditure (11.6 liters per someone per year).

  • Best for – Those looking a great every last-arounder
  • Not suited for – Sunseekers

4. Brunei: For just about, Brunei may be the surprise challenger in our top 10. Yet, information technology  ranks highly in a broad proportion of the categories. Of the crown 10, IT's the cheapest to sleep in, second (overall) for party spaces, and a high scorekeeper for its low number of divorces and alcohol using up. Nevertheless, the latter two points do emphasize the vast cultural differences some ex-pats may happen upon heartwarming there.

As an Islamic commonwealth, on that point is a strict ban happening alcohol, and divorce is frowned upon. Plus, when it came to mental and political freedoms, it ranked importantly lower than the other countries. Out of 160 countries in the globe ranking for moral freedom, Negara Brunei Darussalam ranked 150th. Despite this, there are a lot of positives to retiring in Brunei–IT provides you with a cheap and healthy lifestyle for unmatched–but you would need to be prepared to adjust to its individual culture.

  • Best for – Cheap monetary value of living and a healthy lifestyle
  • Not suited for – Moral and political freedom

5. Slovenija: Ranked the safest country to live in from our summit 10, if your independent cause of stress lies with your personal safety then Slovenia might be the place for you. It also hierarchical indorsement-best for the last-place divorce rates (1.2 couples acquiring divorced per 1,000 marriages). However, Slovenia came 10th in the healthcare category (something that's reflected by its relatively low GDP per capita) and information technology was likewise the country with the highest alcohol consumption (12.6 liters per person per year).

  • Best for – Prophylactic
  • Not suited for – Those looking for top-notch healthcare or a identify to take money

6. Japanese Archipelago: Out of all our top 10 countries, Japan has the best biography expectancy with the average mortal living to the grand old age of 85.03 (information technology was only just knocked off the top spot aside Hong Kong with a somewhat higher 85.29). In fact, Japan did beautiful well overall, higher-ranking highest for healthcare in our top side 10, second-highest for prophylactic, and sensibly high for the numeral of green spaces (68.4% of the country is moon-splashed in forest). It also scored top for political freedoms but performs much worse when it comes to moral freedoms (the instant-lowest scorer in our top 10 and mid-remit total). Finally, Japan has the highest cost of live of our top-ranked 10. And you may need to head elsewhere for your vitamin D intake Eastern Samoa its majuscule city, Japanese capital, has a downhearted number of sunlight hours (1,876 on average per annum).

  • Best for – Healthcare
  • Not suited for – Tatty monetary value of surviving

7. Portugal: If you're looking for somewhere sunny for the vast majority of the year, Portugal mightiness be your spot. The capital city of Lisbon was ranked the highest in our top 10 for sunlight, with an average of 2,805 hours per year. Portugal also ranked secondly for moral freedoms and scored well for its political rights. Strangely, notwithstandin, the weather doesn't get people aweigh and wriggly as Portugal was ranked lowest in our tip 10 for seaworthiness levels, (43% of people father't act up enough example).

  • Best for – Muckle of sunshine and personal exemption
  • Not suited for – Fitness fanatics

8. Canada: If you're looking somewhere spacious to spend your retirement, look no boost than the world's 2nd-largest country, Canada. With just 4 people per straightforward kilometer, you will have plenty of space to yourself. Canada as wel ranked highly for mental and political freedom but was the last-senior country in our top 10 when it comes to its traffic index. If you want to explore this vast country, you might find its low traffic efficiency a trouble, but if you'atomic number 75 looking for a more cloistered retirement that takes you far, you might find the peacefulness and tranquility you'ray explorative for in Canada.

  • Optimal for – Wide open spaces
  • Non suited for – Those who want to get from A to B quickly

9. The Kingdom of The Netherlands: Meet the most morally accepting country in our top side 10, the Netherlands, which scored weighed down Simon Marks for both its mental and policy-making freedoms. Information technology was likewise ranked the highest for GDP in our acme 10 with a value of $52,447.8 GDP per capita. Some negatives to the Netherlands, however, include low numbers of sunshine hours (1,664 hours per year in Capital of The Netherlands), and but 11% of the body politic is covered in forest areas. It's as wel the most cramped of every the top 10 countries with 508 people per square kilometer.

  • Best for – Unbeatable chaste and political freedom
  • Not clothed for – Spending time in the zealous outdoors and/or sunshine

10. Sweden: Sweden ranks second-prizewinning for GDP per capita (a value of $51,610.1) inside our tip 10 and second for fitness levels (only 23% of mass don't get enough exercise). Information technology too does well for its amount of green space and scores full marks for political exemption. In contrast, it's the worst-senior country for refuge in our uppermost 10 as well every bit for its total of split up rates (2.4 couples per 1,000 marriages – tied with Finland). So, although this Nordic country isn't the safest to retire to, IT features lots of other things that can lower the stress in your aliveness.

  • Second-best for – Superior an active outdoor life style
  • Non suited for – Lone retirees

The Top Performers in Each Category

Now we know which countries have ranked overall in the top 10, let's control which countries ranked the best for each class.

Best for Universe Compactness – Australia

If vast open spaces with very few people are for you, and so Australia mightiness be your succeeding destination. With just 3 people per square kilometer, you tin can explore all Commonwealth of Australi has to offer, from desert terrain to urban center life, wholly the while enjoying an abundance of infinite. Alternatively, if you prefer plenty of bustle about and bustle or like to surround yourself with people, then Capital of Singapore mightiness be the place for you with a big 8,358 people per square kilometer.

Best for Rubber – Qatar

Qatar is hierarchical top for its overall safety. With extremely low law-breaking rates and even lower violent crimes (especially towards tourists), Qatar prides itself along being the safest country in the world. As an Islamic country, it does have quite strict laws but this likely helps keep crime rates so low.

Best for Dealings – Austria

If you preceptor't fancy getting perplexed in traffic on your way to the shops, then head over to Oesterreich, which is ranked top for the lowest levels of traffic. Republic of Austria has one of the most highly-developed transport networks with the use of buses, trains, trams, and the underground. Cheap and prompt, if sitting in traffic is your worst incubus, Austria might be for you.

Best for Health care – France

France comes extinct on top for one of the most important factors for many retirees–healthcare. Disbursement your retirement in French Republic testament help put your psyche at ease if this is the case for you as it's far-famed for having some of the highest-quality healthcare in the world.

Best for GDP – Luxembourg

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg takes the win for GDP for each person, which in 2019 was a massive $114,704.60. Luxembourg's high figure comes from the vast number of people working in such a small space, making it a very monetary-efficient country.

Best for Cost of Living – Algeria

The cheapest country for cost of living is Algeria which is great if you wish to make your money go far. However, if you would rather process yourself and push the boat call at those retirement years then you might fancy Switzerland, which is ranked the most expensive area for cost of support. There, a mid-range three-course meal for 2 fire set  you back $83.75, the synoptical meal costing only $15.52 in Algeria.

Best for Hours of Sunlight – Qatar

If ample sunshine sounds like your idea of a emphasise-free life and so the uppercase city of Qatar, Doha, is ranked as having the most hours of sunlight per year. Doha offers 3,433 hours of sun per year on moderate. Although all those hours of sun sound very tempting, beryllium processed to face scorching temperatures with 106ºF (41.5ºC) in the month of July. In line, if sunlight doesn't brighten upfield your day, Colombia might equal for you with to a lesser degree half the hours of sun recorded Here (just over 1,300 per year).

Best for Ill Spaces – Finland

In 2020, Finland was recorded as having 73.7% of its land covered by woodland, devising it the country with the largest amount of putting green quad. If you like lots of woodland walks and then the fresh Finnish air power be ticket.

Best for Down Alcohol Consumption – Kuwait

While for many, alcohol is something to flex when they've had a bad day, it's also proven to tote up to stress and anxiety levels. So, if you're difficult to cut out along alcohol consumption, the best place for that would embody Kuwait as in that respect's a full ban on alcohol here. In sharp contrast, the highest-ranking country for alcohol uptake is Lithuania with all individual consuming 15 liters of alcohol each yr.

Outdo for First Split up Rates – Chile and Guatemala

IT seems Chile and Guatemala stimulate the happiest marriages in the world with single 0.1 of every 1,000 citizenry getting a divorce. This trend doesn't appear across all of South America, though, as Uruguay is the rate with the highest rank of divorce. There, 4.4 people per 1,000 get a divorce.

Incomparable for Motive Freedom – Nederland

As we have already seen, the Netherlands is number one for moral exemption with  the majority of the Dutch having an open-tending emotional state where anything goes. Whether it Be religious, intimate, bioethics, operating theater drug-related freedoms you can take a gratuitous-saucy attitude when retiring in the Netherlands.

Best for Levels of Fitness – Jordan

Jordan was listed as the country with the last-place level of insufficient fitness levels with only 11.9% of its population not acquiring enough exercise. Therefore, if you're looking for a country to keep fit in during retirement, this Middle Easterly country might constitute for you. Merely, if you're altogether against exert, you won't have to go down far, as neighboring country, State of Kuwait, is the country with the highest levels of insufficient fittingness. Here, almost 70% of the population doesn't get enough first-string physical exertion!

Best for Profession Freedoms

You have the quality of 10 countries when it comes to policy-making freedom.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the lean includes all four of the Blonde countries included in our study – Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Danmark. These are joined by Australia, New Sjaelland, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, and Uruguay, all of which scored 40/40 in Freedom House's political freedoms index. So, if you like to voice your opinion Oregon really enjoy getting into a debate, you would be free to do so in any of these countries. This type of exemption isn't something you'll love in China, though, as this is the worst-scoring nation with a -1 for political freedom. This is largely referable the government's attempts to deliberately alter the heathenish musical composition of the area.

Methodology

To begin our research we elect 100 countries with the highest biography expectancy in the international (single those where full information was available were enclosed in the final results). We then chose 14 categories that are tight linked to stress and/or can add to stress on a day-to-day basis. These were:

  • Universe Density: Ranked from highest to lowest based happening the number of people per square kilometer. The more people living per km2, the more stressful an environment this may create.
  • Safety Index: Countries ranked supported how safe they are you bet insufficient the levels of crime are. Living in an area with high crime rates can add to emphasis and anxiety. Wise you are safe where you live bequeath cost one of the top priorities.
  • Dealings Index: The dealings index looks at the amount of time consumed in traffic imputable job exchange, how dissatisfied people are with the amount of time gone commuting, CO2 consumption estimation in traffic, and overall inefficiencies in the traffic system. That daybreak convert causes everyone stress, or equal getting perplexed in unexpected dealings.
  • Healthcare Index: An appraisal of the overall quality of the healthcare system, health care professionals, equipment, staff, doctors, cost, etc. Knowing that you will atomic number 4 in good hands if the worst were to happen can definitely lower stress.
  • GDP per Capita: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the sum of crying value added by all resident producers in the economy plus whatsoever product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. The data was in current U.S. dollars ($) and ranked countries from highest GDP rates to lowest. Countries with high GDP boast greater economic growth and a higher standard of living, easing stresses like memory access to good healthcare.
  • Cost of Life: This is a relative indicator of consumer goods prices, including groceries, restaurants, transportation, and utilities. This index finger doesn't cover the monetary value of accommodation such as hire or mortgage and all state is ranked relative to the cost of New York Urban center. If a urban center has a Cost of Extant Index of 120, it has been estimated that IT is 20% more pricey than New House of York (excluding rent). The lower the cost of living, the lower monetary emphasize can be..
  • Hours of Sunlight: The mean amount of sunlight hours annually by the capital city of to each one country. Case: For the USA, we used the data from Washington D.C. to get a yearly average of the tot sunlight. It is reasoned that there are likely to personify places with greater/fewer sunlight hours within each country, but the capital city provided a fair, consistent measurement each. Studies birth shown that sunlight can boost happiness, hence lowering stress.
  • Cat valium Spaces: % of a country's set down that is covered by forest. Similar to sunlight, green spaces get you outside and in the fresh air which is known to lower levels of accent.
  • Alcohol Consumption: The number of liters of consummate alcohol consumed per capita by a person aged 15+ annually, as recorded in 2016. Alcohol consumption is known to add to stress and anxiety levels in many people, and being split of a culture of big drinkers may further increase these stresses.
  • Divorce rates: The numerate of wed couples acquiring a divorce per 1,000 people in the country. Divorce is arguably one of life's biggest stresses then countries were ranked high for low-pitched levels of divorce rates.
  • Moral Freedoms: This category looked at the total combined score of religious, bioethical, drug-related, sexual, and gender/phratr freedoms a country has as of 2018. Stress can often be caused by not being able to carry yourself OR be World Health Organization you really are.
  • Fitness Rates: % of insufficient physical action from both sexes. Exercise is a known factor in relieving stress.
  • Political Rights: The global freedom score looking specifically at persuasion freedom answered questions like "Was the flow head of government or other chief national authority elected finished free and fair elections?" and created a efface of 40. Similar to lesson rights, having a voice to land your opinion and select who will run your res publica can lower stress for a lot of people.

Our scoring system ranked the 10 least-stressful countries to live in based on 14 categories that related to stress. For each criterion, the country was given a point settled on where it ranked between the highest-higher-ranking and last-place-ranking countries. Countries with the best scores were given 100 points, while countries with the bottom scores were allocated ordinal points. Complete of the countries in between these two scores received a score on a percentile basis, depending on where they stratified.

The total score was achieved away averaging each nation's score crosswise the fourteen categories.

Sources –

https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-away-res publica/

https://WWW.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp

https://www.numbeo.com/traffic/rankings_by_country.jsp

https://www.numbeo.com/health-care for/rankings_by_country.jsp

https://data.worldbank.org/index/NY.GDP.PCAP.Candle

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-keep/rankings_by_country.jsp

https://WWW.weather-atlas.com/

https://ourworldindata.org/forests

https://ourworldindata.org/alcoholic beverage-consumption

https://ourworldindata.org/marriages-and-divorces

https://www.fundalib.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/World-Index number-of-Moral-Freedom-2018.pdf

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(18)30357-7

https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores

https://sixtyandme.com/stress-free-retirement-study/

Source: https://sixtyandme.com/stress-free-retirement-study/