September the 4th, 2023 – Retirement in Croatia sounds like a dream for those fortunate enough to be unswayed by the realities of life in this country. Lounging by the sparkling Adriatic, cold Karlovacko on hand and the grill firing up ready for the freshly caught fish – what could be better?
Retirement in Croatia is a tricky subject. It’s fine if you’re enjoying a decent foreign monthly pension and you’re an EEA citizen. It’s also fine if you’re a loaded Croat. If you’re a third country national however, best of luck, as retirement in this country in the true sense of the word, without EU or Croatian citizenship, is almost impossible. Perhaps that’s one of the many reasons retirement in Croatia didn’t even make it onto The Global Retirement Index’s recently published list.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, The Global Retirement Index has compiled a list of nations dotted all around the world that provide optimal conditions for the typical desired life of retirees. Various categories were analysed in each country, including the average pension payout, how the healthcare facilities are, the overall quality of the environment and the general living conditions of retirees. Based on these analyses, a selection of the best 40 countries for retirement life was compiled. The name “Croatia” is markedly absent.
From Norway to Greece
It seems that the most comfortable retirement life is reserved for the rich Northern European nation of Norway, which proudly occupies the first place, despite not even being an EU Member State. It is followed by Switzerland, Iceland (which also aren’t in the EU) and the Republic of Ireland, respectively. When it comes to non-European, very distant nations, the likes of Australia and New Zealand are in fifth and sixth place.
Among Croatia’s closest neighbours, we can note that Slovenia achieved a solid ranking, occupying the 21st position, while Hungary is in an unimpressive 32nd place, but still ahead of nations such as Japan, France and surprisingly, Italy. At the very bottom of the list, in 40th place, is nearby Greece.
