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10 Best Countries To Retire in 2025

November 21, 2025

4 min Read

Written by Cara Danielle Brown

Edited by Brendan McGinley

Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

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Natixis Investment Managers recently released their 2025 Global Retirement Index (GRI) ranking the best countries in which to retire for current residents. Countries were ranked according to data collected from eighteen different indicators which were ultimately grouped into four subindexes:

Health: primarily defined as access to quality healthcare services
Quality of Life: access to a clean and safe environment
Material Wellbeing: the material means to live comfortably in retirement
Finances in Retirement: access to quality financial services to preserve savings and maximize income

According to Natixis Investment Managers’ David Goodsell, “the key to attaining top rankings comes down to consistency across all subindexes, rather than outperformance on any particular one.”

Out of 44 nations studied, here are the top 10 ranked countries to retire in 2025, beginning with No. 1.

*Percentages represent a country’s score on a scale from 0% to 100%. Below are percentage scores from both 2025 and 2024 to chart year-on-year shifts in ranking. See which nations rate the best for retirement if you’re not planning to live a life of luxury retirement in the U.S.

1. Norway

2025: 83%2024: 81% (Norway rose 1 spot this year to take the No. 1 ranking overall)

Norway continues to have strong performances in health initiatives (particularly in the areas of cancer and women’s studies), income equality and low unemployment. The country scored No. 1 in Material Wellbeing, No. 2 in Quality of Life and No. 4 in Health.

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2. Ireland

2025: 82%2024: 80% (Ireland rose 2 spots to No. 2 overall)

Due to its improvement in inflation and an economic environment that supports retirement security, Ireland ranked No. 1 for Finances in Retirement. It also ranked No. 2 for Health, No. 6 for Material Wellbeing and No. 8 for Quality of Life.

3. Switzerland

2025: 81%2024: 82% (Switzerland dropped 2 spots to No. 3 overall)

While considered an expensive country in which to retire, Switzerland is looked upon favorably for its low taxes, stable economy and strong currency. Switzerland ranked No. 2 for Finances in Retirement, No. 5 for Health and No. 7 for both Material Wellbeing and Quality of Life.

4. Iceland

2025: 79%2024: 81% (Iceland dropped 1 spot to No. 4 overall)

Iceland typically receives high ratings for its strong pension system, robust social safety nets and clean air. The country ranked No. 3 for Quality of Life and No. 10 for Material Wellbeing.

5. Denmark

2025: 79%2024: 77% (Denmark rose 4 spots to No. 5 overall)

Denmark boasts a world-class social security system and an excellent sense of community; it often ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world. Denmark ranked No. 4 for Material Wellbeing and No. 5 for Quality of Life.

6. Netherlands

2025: 79%2024: 79% (The Netherlands dropped 1 spot to No. 6 overall)

The Netherlands’ pension system is widely considered the best in the world due to its sound regulation and strong asset base. It also boasts a high-quality, universal healthcare system. The Netherlands ranked No. 5 for Material Wellbeing, No. 8 for Health and No. 9 for Quality of Life.

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7. Australia

2025: 77%2024: 78% (Australia retained the same ranking at No. 7 overall)

While the cost of living is high, Australia is looked upon favorably for its excellent healthcare system and mandatory superannuation system in which employers contribute a certain percentage of wages to employees’ retirement funds. Australia ranked No. 5 for Finances in Retirement and No. 6 for Health.

8. Germany

2025: 76%2024: 77% (Germany retained the same ranking at No. 8 overall)

Germany represents the highest-ranking, large country on this year’s list–significant because large countries often struggle with retirement challenges like public debt, income inequality and labor market volatility. Germany ranked well due to its high marks in Material Wellbeing (No. 9) as a result of lower unemployment and an improvement in income per capita.

9. Luxembourg

2025: 75%2024: 78% (Luxembourg dropped 3 spots to No. 9 overall)

Citizens of Luxembourg enjoy high life expectancy and low health risk profiles–likely due in part to the country’s publicly funded health expenditures being amongst the highest in the EU. The country ranked No. 1 in both Health and Quality of Life.