Greece Named World's Top Country for Retirement in New Report

International Living just released their Annual Global Retirement Index for 2026, and they have named Greece as the number one country to retire.

In the report, International Living takes into account six factors that determine the country's ranking on the list: housing, cost of living, healthcare, visas and benefits, climate, affinity rating, and development.

In total, the report saw many previous winners or high scorers drop down on the list, especially in Europe. Countries like Portugal, Italy, France, and Spain, some of which have placed in the top three in previous years, fell to 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th place, respectively, especially because of rising cost-of-living and housing costs.

Greece, in particular, scored well in housing, healthcare, and climate, with low housing costs by comparison to other parts of Europe. Private healthcare is relatively inexpensive and offers high quality care, and many retirees find Greece's climate extremely appealing– their hot, dry summers and mild winters without frequent cold snaps allow for balmy weather throughout most of the year. Greece is also widely known as one of the most beautiful countries in the world due to its picturesque, village-dotted islands, offering endless exploration throughout the Aegean Sea.

Additionally, their golden visa program allows foreigners to attain citizenship with an investment of €250,000 ($290,000), which is much less than other countries and offers a straightforward process with a short timeframe.

Panama came in at number two on the list, with incredible ocean views, tropical rainforests to explore, low cost-of-living, almost non-existent property taxes, and incredible benefits for retirees. Specifically, Panama topped the category for visas/benefits in IL's report, with various discounts for retirees in all aspects of life, like 50% off entertainment tickets, 20% off for medical consultations, 25% off electricity, 25% off airplane tickets, 30% off transportation tickets, and more. These are all included in the country's Pensionado Program, which has a high acceptance rate and a low wait time of around three months.

Number three on IL's report was Costa Rica– a similar climate and terrain to Panama, but with slightly higher cost-of-living, particularly with imported items. It also takes more time to attain citizenship – around 6-18 months – but US and Canadian citizens can stay up to 180 days without a visa. Also, policies are similar in many ways, like low property taxes (just 0.25%) and a solid public healthcare system and established private healthcare.

Fourth was taken by Portugal, which has consistently placed high on the index over the past few years, while Mexico scored fifth due to its high American influence, relatively low costs, and beautiful resorts and beach views on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Italy, France, and Spain are widely known as some of the most beautiful countries in the world and remain ideal for retirement, but rising costs have brought them down the list in recent years. Italy stayed strong in most categories but fell slightly in the development category, while both France and Spain scored much lower on cost-of-living than other countries on the index, bringing them down to 6th, 7th, and 8th, respectively.

Thailand ranked 9th on the list, with strong development and cost-of-living, and its recent prevalence in TV shows and movies have led it to become a top country for retirement. However, the climate can be extremely hot and muggy for many retirees, and the country lacked in other categories like housing and healthcare.

The last of the top 10 was Malaysia, a country known for a similar tropical environment to Thailand. Malaysia scored higher than Thailand in many categories, like housing, benefits, healthcare, and development, and their cost-of-living is also relatively high. However, the country was brought down by their affinity rating, likely due to recent political instability.

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