Retirement migration

1
Retirement migration

• Anna Hinchliffe-Wood
• Programme Officer, Older People Residing Abroad,
  Age Concern England

2
Whats the issue?

• At least a million older people from the UK are
  living abroad
• That is equal to 1 in 12 people of pensionable
  age
• In addition a large proportion of older people
  spend part of the year abroad
• Recent IPPR Brits Abroad work quantified this
  group as best as possible

3
Countries re-sized according to number of UK
state pensioners
Courtesy of IPPR Brits Abroad report, produced by
University of Sheffield
4
Where are UK pensions paid?
5
Why these countries?

• Society concentrated mostly on immediate moment
  therefore factors of lasting importance and value
  e.g. family or religion move into the background
  and factors for immediate satisfaction such as
  better climate become more important.

6

• Sunset Lives study (2000) found that reasons for
  Brits retiring to Southern Europe were
• Climate and environment
• Pace of life and health
• Lower living costs
• Social advantages
• Admiration of the country
• Childhood/family links
• Antipathy to the UK
• Practical advantages
• Work/ business

7
Who retires abroad?

• Wealthy and active?
• The majority are married/co-habiting with no
  dependant children who have moved on retirement
  in early old age.
• By 2025 13.2 of retired population will be
  living abroad

8
What is the problem?

• The majority successfully retire abroad
• Problems can be grouped as follows
• Health and social care
• Financial
• Isolation
• Returning to the UK
• Safety of property

9
Housing for retirees abroad

• Rural or isolated
• Difficult access
• Lack of public transport/ local amenities
• Inappropriate for changing physical needs
• Legal issues

10
Retirement housing overseas

• Growing trend for outsourcing elderly
• Catering for ageing migrants
• Infrastructure / cultural differences affecting
  availability
• Integrated with local population or separate
  British developments?
• State supported

11
Spanish example

• Norwegian/ German/ Dutch / British communities
• Not exclusive to these communities but cater for
  their language and health needs and marketed
  towards them
• Allows people with the finances to avoid many of
  the pitfalls of retirement abroad

12
Returning to the UK

• 91,000 returning nationals in 2005
• Reasons for returning
• Health and social care problems
• Financial problems
• Family issues

13
Who returns?

• As diverse a group as the people who retire
  abroad
• The majority return using their own resources
• A minority are repatriated and in need of
  immediate assistance

14
Problems upon return

• Habitual Residence Test
• Locating housing prior to return
• Lack of information
• Integration into society

15
Finally

• The OPRA project aims to improve the experiences
  of vulnerable British nationals residing abroad
• Visit the international section of our website
  for further information.