Looking for a comfortable and scenic place to retire? Perhaps try the mountains and lakes of Switzerland.
Switzerland ranked at the top of U.S. News & World Report's Best Countries ranking both overall and for a comfortable retirement. Switzerland also topped lists for being "open for business," meaning most business-friendly, and for headquartering a corporation. Switzerland also topped last year's Best Countries ranking, which analyzes 87 countries on attributes including entrepreneurship and quality of life.
"Switzerland is not known necessarily as the most affordable country out there, and it's pretty expensive at least relative to its neighbors and other countries in Europe," Devon Haynie, an assistant managing editor at U.S. News & World Report, told Insider.
"But people are really a big fan of Switzerland," she said, noting Switzerland ranked as the most economically stable, safest, and least corrupt country.
Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand also ranked high for the best countries for a comfortable retirement because of their healthcare programs, social security and pensions, and cost of living. The list was based on how people perceive countries' affordability, tax environment, friendliness, climate, and healthcare systems. The United States ranked 30th on the comfortable retirement list, while seven of the top 10 are in Europe.
The US ranked higher on the best countries to start a career, coming in third behind Germany and Canada. The US was fifth on the list of best countries to start a business, which was topped by India, Thailand, China, and Mexico. In the overall best country ranking, the US also came in fifth.
Here are the top 10 countries in the world for a comfortable retirement, according to the U.S. News & World Report ranking: