2010 World's Top Retirement Destinations from International Living

International Living magazine has just released its annual Retirement Index of the world's best places to retire in its September 2010 issue.

Ecuador ranked #1 on the 2010 index, with the U.S. coming in at 15, up from 22 in 2009.

The countries that came out on top of the U.S. as offering the best value in lifestyle, health care, culture, and cost of living with points out of a possible 100 are:

1. Ecuador - 81
2. Panama - 80
3. Mexico - 79
4. France - 78
5. Italy - 78
6. Uruguay - 77
7. Malta - 76
8. Chile - 76
9. Spain - 75
10. Costa Rica � 75
11. Brazil - 74
12. Argentina - 74
13. Columbia - 73
14. New Zealand � 73
15. U.S. - �73
16. Portugal � 72
17. �Australia � 71
18. Belize � 70
19. Malaysia � 69
20. Ireland � 68
21. Nicaragua � 67
22. U.K. - �67
23. Honduras � 64
24. Dom Rep � 63
25. Thailand - 61

To determine the Annual Retirement Index, International Living managing editor Eoin Bassett says 25 countries are analyzed and ranked in categories including real estate costs, special benefits offered to retirees, culture, safety and stability, health care, climate, infrastructure, and cost of living.

"We give top priority to those things that matter most to retirees, such as special retiree benefit programs that include tax breaks and discounts," says Bassett.

Total score for the U.S. was hurt by relatively high cost of living and high carrying costs for real estate such as taxes and insurance. The United Kingdom comes in at 22 this year, and Thailand takes 25.

Bassett says that to determine the index rankings, data is analyzed in eight categories including real estate, special retiree benefits, cost of living, culture, health care, infrastructure, safety/stability, and climate.

"Then we run the results past our in-country experts for their judgments based on their first-hand experience," says Bassett. "So it's not a purely by-the-numbers, scientific call… it's more nuanced. We've crunched the numbers, but we've also made adjustments based on what we know to be the reality on the ground."

"No place gets a perfect score," says Bassett. "Every place has pros and cons, pockets where living is easier, or cheaper, than another. But all of the countries in our Index have something to offer. Even if they score poorly in a specific category, they're still the best places in the world to retire that we've found."

Sources and Additional Information:

http://ping.fm/KFLyk

http://ping.fm/M1A1a

http://ping.fm/gVKvX

http://tinyurl.com/5uj3ds6

2009 Worlds Top Retirement Destinations from International Living

International Living traditionally compiles its Annual Retirement Index, featuring the top International Retirement Destinations.

The United States ranks 22 on the Index and receives particularly bad marks in the area of special benefits for retirees. It scores well in both safety and infrastructure. At the bottom of the list are the United Kingdom and South Africaprimarily because of high real estate prices and, in the U.K., overall high cost of living. In the case of South Africa, the country didnt score particularly well in any category.

�No place scores a perfect 100,� stresses Sheridan. �Even Ecuador, our number one retirement destination, earns a score of only 79. The best, but not perfect. If youre trying to pick a place to retire, keep that in mind. There will be good points and bad, no matter where you go. Realizing that ahead of time will help eliminate disappointments later.�

Entertainment, Recreation, and Culture. This category considers the number of newspapers per 1,000 citizens, the number of museums and cinemas per capita, the number of university students, the literacy rate, and the variety of cultural and recreational offerings. Weight: 10%

Cost of Living. This score is based on statistics from the Indexes of Living Costs Abroad, Quarter Allowances, and Hardship Differentials, published by the United States Department of State, and on data published by Business International. We also use our firsthand experiences living and traveling in these countries. The lower the score, the higher the cost of living. Weight: 20%

Safety and Stability. This measure of unrest in each country is based primarily on Interpol data and State Department statistics. It also takes into account the civil liberties and political rights granted by each government. Our own experiences and reports from expatriates living in these countries also influence the safety scores. Weight: 5%

Health Care. Considered in this category are the cost of a typical visit to a general practitioner and the cost and coverage particulars of health insurance. Weight: 20%

Climate. Countries with temperate weather throughout the year, moderate rain fall, and little risk of natural disaster come out on top in this category. We use data representing each country as a whole instead of favoring one region over another. Weight: 5%

Special Benefits. This category considers government provisions that make moving to and living in each country easier and more affordable for foreigners. Taken into account are property rights for foreign residents, property tax rates, duty-free imports on personal belongings, currency controls, employment restrictions, voting rights, and transportation discounts for seniors. Weight: 20%

Infrastructure. This section considers the number of cars and telephones per 1,000 residents, the length of railroad track in usable condition, the number of airports, the quality of the countrys road and highway network, and the availability of telecommunications. Weight: 5%

Note that there are many versions of the Top Retirement Destinations, and International Living is just one of the viewpoints. However, the approach to the index calculation looks reasonable and serious.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://internationalliving.com/2010/02/2009-retirement-index/

http://internationalliving.com/2009/09/retirement-index-09/

http://tinyurl.com/38zdfve