The 15 Countries Where Most Americans Retire (The Results Shocked Us)

The phenomenon of Americans moving abroad isn't happening the way most people expect. The Social Security Administration sends checks to more than 150 countries, and when you rank them by how many Americans are collecting Social Security abroad, the list breaks every assumption about retiring outside the US. In this video, we count down the top 15 countries Americans are fleeing to — and the winner is cold, expensive, and the opposite of every retirement brochure ever printed. Along the way, we look at Spain, Colombia, Israel, Portugal, France, Australia, Greece, Italy, Poland, the Philippines, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, and Canada. For every country, you'll get the visa reality, the cost of living abroad, healthcare for expats abroad, and the honest downsides — the ones the top retirement destinations lists never mention. We cover the non-lucrative visa if you want to retire in Spain, the D7 if you plan to retire in Portugal, the Special Resident Retiree's Visa if you want to retire in the Philippines, and why retiring in Mexico still ranks below two countries almost nobody predicts. We also answer the bigger question: why Americans are leaving, and what actually drives where Americans are moving. It's not always the cheapest places to retire. Ancestry, family, and citizenship shape this list more than sunshine or price ever could — as both retiring in Poland and the story of an American living in Japan prove. Videos mentioned: 💡Subscribe to @TheExpat . I upload new episodes every week! This video is based on this article: 🗣️ Your residency renewal, your doctor, your neighbours — none of it happens in English. Start speaking Spanish, Italian, French or Portuguese here 👉 https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-101847884-15734907?sid=YoutubeLink1 Planning to move abroad? Read one of these 3 📚books BEFORE: 📚 1 - https://amzn.to/3UkgWUn 📚 2 - https://amzn.to/3U6gacp 📚 3 - https://amzn.to/441oWwJ ➡️Podcast "The Expatriate": https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-expatriate--5406772 🚨 QUESTION - Which country or city would you like us to talk about? 🔴 *** ABOUT THE CHANNEL *** From ten years living as an expatriate in the Middle East, South America, and Eastern Europe, to facts from reliable sources. Straightforward, no-nonsense guides for every expat. Some of the links posted and mentioned may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transaction. 💡 TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO 💡 americans are fleeing to, americans moving abroad, collecting social security abroad, social security overseas, retiring outside the us, where americans are moving, american retirees abroad, best countries to retire, cheapest places to retire, why americans are leaving, expat retirement destinations, moving out of america, retire in europe cheap, safe countries to retire, easiest country to retire, affordable retirement overseas, retiring abroad on pension, top retirement destinations, best country for expats, cost of living abroad, leaving america for good, retire in the philippines, retiring in mexico, retire in spain visa, retire in portugal, americans relocating abroad, healthcare for expats abroad, retiring in poland, american living in japan, expat social security #retireabroad #americansabroad #retirementabroad 🔎 EXCERPT 🔎 Right now, the Social Security Administration is sending checks to Americans in more than 150 countries. And when you rank those countries by how many checks they send to each, the list gets very weird. We could imagine that most of these retirees are in Mexico, the Caribbean, or a Mediterranean country where your dollar feels twice as big. But those guesses would be wrong We looked at the countries with the most Americans receiving Social Security, and among the top 15, there is: a country that has been at war for much of the last few years. At number two, an island on the far side of the planet where the language is notoriously difficult for English speakers. And at number one — a country that is cold, expensive, and the exact opposite of every retirement brochure you've ever seen. So why are so many Americans choosing these places? Is it about saving money? Healthcare? A better lifestyle? Or is something else driving this migration? Today, we will answer all these questions, and number fifteen starts now. Number fifteen: Spain Almost 8,700 Americans there are getting a Social Security check every month, and the surprise is that it is SO LOW in this ranking.