Spain still popular with British retirees, despite losing top spot

A happy retirement could be yours if you choose Spain

In 2012, a survey by visa application website GlobalVisas.com saw Spain emerge as the preferred destination for British retirees, with 33 per cent of those polled saying that they would like to retire there.

Impressive stuff, particularly as Brits do not need a visa to live in, work in, or retire to Spain…

The second and third most popular destination – Australia and Canada respectively – ask Brits to jump through a few more hoops, and visa application is one of them.

Fast forward to this year’s poll and Spain has slipped to fourth place, behind the USA in top spot, Australia second, and Canada third. A cause for consternation? Not really. The fact is that 23 per cent of people polled in the survey said they would choose Spain as their preferred retirement destination.

That’s 23 per cent of a poll for a website that specialises in visa applications. So it makes sense that these people have an eye on destinations where a visa is required. It’s akin to asking pupils of a Spanish language school where they’re planning their next holiday and worrying why France is behind Spain, Argentina and Mexico.

Overall, the poll – which surveyed 1,500 over-40s – revealed that 35 per cent of Brits would be happier to retire overseas than at home. Spain was the highest-ranked non-English speaking country, which also speaks volumes for how positively the country is perceived by Britons in search of the good life.

Interestingly, perennial favourite France has also fallen out of favour, with just 15 per cent of those polled saying they would choose to retire there (down from 22 per cent last year). This is a big drop. Results were worse for Greece, which dropped out of the top ten altogether.

The findings seem to suggest that financial stability plays an important role in shaping Brits’ perceptions of destinations. Economically sound Germany, for example, has hovered on to the radar in recent years, and is expected to become a popular destination over the next few years, despite lacking the excellent climate that Spain can boast.

“With the British climate notoriously unpredictable and the economic output seemingly as reliable as the weather, some people see living abroad as the better option,” said Gary Smith of GlobalVisas.com.

“The credit crunch stung a lot of expats living within Europe, which seems to have influenced some people’s decisions as the wider world now seems more appealing.”