The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has secured the top position in the Arab world and ranks 51st globally in the 2026 Best Countries for Retirement Travelers, released by Firebird Tours, which evaluated 100 countries worldwide. This ranking highlights the increasing appeal of the UAE as a desirable destination for older travellers.
Evaluation Criteria for Ranking
The classification was based on seven key indicators assessing how suitable various countries are for senior travellers. These included the proportion of the population aged 65 and over, discounts for seniors at museums, public transport reductions available to visitors, walkability, healthcare quality, safety, alongside cultural and culinary experiences.
Each country received ratings from 1 to 100 for each indicator, with lower scores being more favourable. The final scores were aggregated to determine the overall ranking.
Impressive Results in Key Indicators
The UAE performed exceptionally well across several criteria, particularly in walkability, healthcare, safety, public transport, and the global culinary scene.
Notably, the UAE achieved a perfect score of 5 out of 5 in the walkability index, reflecting the ease with which travellers can navigate the nation’s capital on foot. This measurement considers infrastructure and accessibility to services and attractions, rated on a scale of 1 to 5.
In the healthcare index, the UAE garnered 39.60 points, a critical component for evaluating the destination’s suitability for older travellers. This score reflects the quality and safety of healthcare infrastructure, based on an international ranking of health systems.
Safety as a Key Factor
The safety index utilised a combination of the Global Safety Index and crime statistics to measure the security of the destination for senior travellers. The report highlighted that safety significantly influenced the overall ranking. Countries with poor safety performances may rank lower, even if they excel in other aspects such as museums or restaurants.
Regarding public transport, the assessment focused on discounts available to visiting retired travellers rather than those offered only to residents, marking this as a vital factor in evaluating the destination’s suitability for retired tourists.
Cultural and Culinary Experiences
The UAE particularly shined in the cultural and culinary experiences category, ranking second globally for the number of Michelin-starred restaurants, with a total of 469 stars. France led this category with 641 stars, followed by the UAE outperforming Italy at 376 stars, Japan at 351 stars, and Germany at 336 stars.
This ranking reflects a measure of cultural depth and culinary variety accessible to older travellers through the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites and Michelin-starred restaurants in the country.
Approach to Retirement Specifics
This ranking differs from conventional retirement indices, which typically focus on living costs or residency and visa conditions. Instead, Firebird Tours evaluates the suitability of each country for visiting retired tourists, rather than those contemplating permanent relocation.
Global Rankings
Japan topped the global ranking with a total of 71 points, followed by Germany with 133 points, with Spain, Slovenia, and Switzerland also featuring prominently.
This strong performance by Japan stems from high scores across multiple indicators, including a significant percentage of the population aged 65 and over, quality healthcare, safety, walkability, and rich cultural experiences.