Algarve retirement haven

An agreeable, mild climate means the Algarve is still one of the most sought after locations for foreigners to enjoy their retirement, especially the British and Germans.

A study financed by the Aga Khan Foundation and carried out by the Boston Consulting Group and the Centro de Estudos e Desenvolvimento Regional e Urbano, a Portuguese urban and regional development centre, analysed the existing offer for the care of the elderly and questioned a total of 1,300 people aged over 55, across Portugal.

The data obtained showed that retired people from foreign countries are concentrated in regions with a mild climate, such as the Algarve, the Estoril coast near Cascais and the island of Madeira.

According to the study, there are around 49,000 British people and 50,000 Germans living in Portugal, the majority of whom are over the age of 50. According to the German embassy however, this figure for the number of German nationals living in Portugal is greatly exaggerated, with their estimates being just 15,000.

Estimates from the Institute of Public Policy Research in the UK from 2006, show that Portugal was the 18th most popular destination for the British to live abroad.

The number of British people living in Portugal, either with a temporary or permanent residence, is expected to increase according to the study, which also reveals that there has been an increase in the number of retired Germans living in the country in the last two decades, especially in the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto.

The study also revealed that the experience of integration by foreign elderly people in a host country is generally positive and reveals necessary aspects such as access to health care. It goes on to say that the needs of foreign residents often provide positive consequences to the elderly population of the region or country as a whole in terms of health care and social services.