16 countries where you can retire ‘happier’ than in the US

Cynthia Measom

When considering retirement, everyone has their own idealistic expectations, which undoubtedly include being happy. For those planning to retire in the U.S., however, happiness might not be so easy to achieve. Becoming an expatriate might actually be the best way to make your retirement dreams come true.

The Global Retirement Index, developed by Natixis Investment Managers and CoreData research, serves to provide insight into what influences a country’s ascent or decline in overall well-being in retirement. The study is a multifaceted index that focuses four thematic subindices:

  • Material Wellbeing

  • Health

  • Quality of Life

  • Finances

Within those subindices, the study looks at a total of 18 different performance indicators grouped according to theme — and the Quality of Life subindex includes environmental and happiness indicators.

When looking at the 2017 ranking — the latest report available — of the U.S. in relation to a well-rounded retirement, countries like Canada and Germany rank higher. The U.S. ranks 17th, which can be attributed, in part, to a decline in the Quality of Life factor, specifically because U.S. retirees were found to be less happy than they were the year before, according to the study.

Here are 16 countries where you can retire happier than in the U.S., which might help you minimize the downsides of retirement.

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