The Best Countries for Older Adults to Live - Which Provide the Best Elderly Care?
Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
As both our quality of life and the medical care available to us improve, human average life expectancy is increasing.
We're therefore seeing greater numbers of older adults in our societies and communities than ever before.
With the number of adults at retirement age expected to grow in all regions of the world, we need high-quality elderly care services to accommodate the world’s ageing population.
Read on to find out which countries have the best elderly care – and where the UK factors in.
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In this article:
- Which countries have the best elderly care?
- Best elderly care by continent
- Health Care Index
- Different care systems
- Best countries for elderly people to live in
Which Countries Have the Best Elderly Care?
Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and the United States are the countries with the best elderly care. Meanwhile, Great Britain ranks in the top 15.
This is based on factors such as pensions coverage, healthcare systems, care services – including residential and nursing homes – social support and government grants.
When we look at the countries doing it right, it could be said that the UK has some way to go if we want to rank at the top of the list for elderly care.
However, although it’s true that we have some catching up to do, care solutions are being developed and discussed all the time that could have a serious impact on the UK care systems of the future.
The Countries With the Best Elderly Care
As issues like feelings of isolation and health barriers make it even harder to continue living in our own homes, care homes and other care services must step in to help. When it’s time to take care of older adults, these are the countries getting it right:
Norway
With its strong sense of community, 100% pension coverage and financial security for older adults, it’s no wonder that Norway is consistently found in the number one spot. Norway also has the best income and employment rates for older adults.
Sweden
Coming in at a close second, Sweden funds its elderly care with municipal taxes and government grants. These subsidised costs mean that older adults are much happier and more comfortable in their care homes, reporting high rates of satisfaction with safety and civic freedom, as well as public transport.
Switzerland
Swiss healthcare in general is pretty amazing – and this is no exception when it comes to elderly care. Older adults in Switzerland report feeling safe and supported in their own homes and can expect to live into their mid-80s in relatively good health. Switzerland also has an above regional average rate of older people’s feeling of social connectedness and civic freedom satisfaction. Impressive!
Germany
Although it doesn’t yet offer 100% pension coverage, Germany is making waves with its research into new technology that could further improve and empower its care system. Germany also ranks highly for social connectedness and civic freedom for its older population.
Canada
Canadians have the longest life expectancy in the world, so this country is obviously doing a great job caring for older adults! Good pensions, income security and top-notch social support have helped Canada to earn its spot in the top five. In fact, Canada’s capital, Ottawa, has even pledged to invest a large sum of money over the next decade to support its ageing population and home-care programmes.
The US
The United States consistently performs well in care service ratings- and with the spacious care facilities and bright, airy bedrooms available to care seekers, living in an American care home is unsurprisingly a much sought-after luxury. Across the US, older adults consistently score this country highly for safety and social connectedness.
Great Britain
So, where does Great Britain rank? Well, the good news is that GB usually ranks in the top 15 countries – and sometimes in the top ten!
Although we’re not yet in a medal position alongside the Scandinavian countries, we're nonetheless providing a good standard of care for older adults, with high levels of satisfaction for social connectedness, safety and civic freedom.
By taking inspiration from and adopting the most successful methods used by the top-ranking countries, we will be able to provide even better care for older adults in the future.
Other countries that consistently come top of the list of great places for older adults to live include Japan, The Netherlands and Iceland.
Best Elderly Care By Continent
For the 94 countries recorded in the 2023 Health Care Index, scores vary from 85.9 (Taiwan) to Venezuela (39.3).
Here are the countries with the best elderly care in each continent:
| Continent | Which Country Has the Best Elderly Care? | Health Care Index Score |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | South Africa | 63.7 |
| Asia | Taiwan | 85.9 |
| Europe | France | 79.4 |
| North and Central America | Mexico | 72.5 |
| Oceania | Australia | 75.3 |
| South America | Ecuador | 69.5 |
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Health Care Index Score
The Health Care Index Score measures the quality of the health care systems in different countries. Overall health care is important to everyone, but especially older adults. Here are the top 30 countries:
| Rank | Country | Health Care Index Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taiwan | 85.9 |
| 2 | South Korea | 83.0 |
| 3 | Japan | 80.3 |
| 4 | France | 79.4 |
| 5 | Denmark | 79.2 |
| 6 | Spain | 77.9 |
| 7 | Thailand | 77.9 |
| 8 | Austria | 77.2 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 77.1 |
| 10 | Finland | 77.1 |
| 11 | Norway | 76.7 |
| 12 | Czech Republic | 75.5 |
| 13 | Australia | 75.3 |
| 14 | Belgium | 75.2 |
| 15 | Luxembourg | 75.0 |
| 16 | Switzerland | 74.5 |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 74.1 |
| 18 | Estonia | 74.1 |
| 19 | Qatar | 73.8 |
| 20 | Israel | 73.5 |
| 21 | Lithuania | 73.2 |
| 22 | Mexico | 72.5 |
| 23 | Sri Lanka | 72.0 |
| 24 | Germany | 71.9 |
| 25 | Portugal | 71.5 |
| 26 | New Zealand | 71.0 |
| 27 | Turkey | 71.0 |
| 28 | Singapore | 70.9 |
| 29 | Canada | 70.4 |
| 30 | Malaysia | 70.0 |
Source: Health Care Index (2023)
Different Care Systems
Different countries have their own care systems. The following are some examples of different types of care system around the world:
Staggered care systems
The UK follows a ‘staggered care’ system, where older adults are gradually given more support as they age; from initial home help with tasks like cooking and cleaning, to care and medical support from trained carers who either visit their home daily or live there with them, all the way to going into a residential care home or nursing care home permanently.
Private care systems
In the US, the care system is largely private. For example, the Medicaid health programme helps older adults with their medical costs, including covering 61% of their nursing home care. If an older adult wants to move into a nursing home, these are often funded by private healthcare too.
Publicly funded care systems
In Belgium, most of the care is publicly funded by social contributions and general taxes. What’s more, in Belgium family members do their best to ensure that their elderly relatives can stay in their own homes for as long as possible. Belgium also offers ‘service flats’ for older adults who want to live independently, but still have access to home help services, assisted living and cooked meals if they need them.
Cohabiting care systems
In countries like Germany, a cohabiting scheme means older adults can live together in a community apartment to better promote independence while also giving them the opportunity to socialise. Germany also has ‘multigeneration’ centres which older adults and young families alike can visit for a spot of socialising or to use the care services available.
Family care systems
Countries like Italy don’t tend to have as many care homes as other countries. This is because in Italy, elderly care is seen to be the responsibility of the family – so the majority of older people will continue to live at home for the duration of their old age, supported and cared for by their family members. If a person has no family members, this is the moment where Italian institutions will step in to help.
Best Countries For Elderly People To Live In
| Overall Ranking | Country | Life Expectancy | Health Care Index Score | World Happiness Report Score | Safety Index Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 84.3 | 74.5 | 7.571 | 76.4 |
| 2 | Finland | 82.5 | 77.1 | 7.804 | 73.2 |
| 3 | Denmark | 81.4 | 79.2 | 7.586 | 73.4 |
| 4 | Netherlands | 82.8 | 77.1 | 7.464 | 72.7 |
| 5 | Taiwan | 81.0 | 85.9 | 6.584 | 83.8 |
| 6 | Japan | 85.0 | 80.3 | 5.94 | 76.9 |
| 7 | Austria | 82.1 | 77.2 | 7.268 | 72.7 |
| 8 | Iceland | 83.5 | 67.0 | 7.53 | 75.1 |
| 9 | Norway | 82.9 | 76.7 | 7.392 | 66.5 |
| 10 | Israel | 83.5 | 73.5 | 7.157 | 67.4 |
| 11 | Spain | 84.0 | 77.9 | 6.491 | 64.3 |
| 12 | Luxembourg | 82.8 | 75.0 | 7.324 | 64.9 |
| 13 | South Korea | 83.5 | 83.0 | 5.845 | 74.5 |
| 14 | Czech Republic | 79.9 | 75.5 | 6.965 | 73.4 |
| 15 | Singapore | 84.1 | 70.9 | 6.377 | 70.8 |
| 16 | Australia | 83.9 | 75.3 | 7.183 | 54.5 |
| 17 | Germany | 81.9 | 71.9 | 7.155 | 62.4 |
| 18 | United Arab Emirates | 78.5 | 69.6 | 6.561 | 84.9 |
| 19 | Estonia | 79.2 | 74.1 | 6.189 | 74.9 |
| 20 | Slovenia | 81.9 | 65.3 | 6.461 | 75.8 |
| 21 | Canada | 83.0 | 70.4 | 7.103 | 55.7 |
| 22 | Hong Kong | 85.3 | 65.8 | 5.477 | 78.5 |
| 23 | New Zealand | 82.8 | 71.0 | 7.277 | 54.2 |
| 24 | France | 83.1 | 79.4 | 6.69 | 44.7 |
| 25 | Sweden | 83.3 | 68.6 | 7.363 | 51.5 |
| 26 | Portugal | 82.7 | 71.5 | 5.929 | 68.5 |
| 27 | United Kingdom | 81.8 | 74.1 | 7.064 | 53.1 |
| 28 | Belgium | 82.2 | 75.2 | 6.834 | 50.9 |
| 29 | Italy | 84.0 | 66.3 | 6.483 | 53.1 |
| 30 | Thailand | 77.7 | 77.9 | 5.985 | 61.3 |
| 31 | Croatia | 79.0 | 63.9 | 5.882 | 75.4 |
| 32 | Lithuania | 76.4 | 73.2 | 6.255 | 67.0 |
| 33 | Saudi Arabia | 75.7 | 61.2 | 6.494 | 75.4 |
| 34 | Slovakia | 78.0 | 60.1 | 6.331 | 68.6 |
| 35 | Poland | 79.3 | 57.6 | 6.166 | 70.8 |
| 36 | United States | 79.1 | 68.6 | 6.951 | 51.0 |
| 37 | Cyprus | 81.5 | 54.7 | 6.223 | 68.6 |
| 38 | Malta | 83.1 | 45.4 | 6.602 | 57.5 |
| 39 | Ireland | 82.8 | 51.8 | 7.085 | 54.1 |
| 40 | China | 77.5 | 67.5 | 5.339 | 73.7 |
| 41 | Costa Rica | 80.9 | 63.1 | 7.069 | 46.2 |
| 42 | Panama | 79.1 | 61.0 | 6.18 | 56.3 |
| 43 | Uruguay | 78.4 | 68.4 | 6.431 | 47.3 |
| 44 | Turkey | 78.5 | 71.0 | 4.948 | 59.9 |
| 45 | Kuwait | 75.9 | 59.7 | 6.106 | 67.4 |
| 46 | Romania | 76.5 | 56.5 | 6.14 | 68.0 |
| 47 | Chile | 80.7 | 64.4 | 6.172 | 41.9 |
| 48 | Latvia | 75.7 | 62.4 | 6.032 | 62.3 |
| 49 | Mexico | 75.4 | 72.5 | 6.317 | 45.6 |
| 50 | Sri Lanka | 77.6 | 72.0 | 4.325 | 58.6 |
| 51 | Greece | 82.8 | .57.5 | 5.723 | 53.0 |
| 52 | Hungary | 77.3 | 54.4 | 5.992 | 66.1 |
| 53 | Colombia | 77.9 | 67.9 | 6.012 | 39.8 |
| 54 | Ecuador | 77.7 | 69.5 | 5.764 | 40.6 |
| 55 | Guatemala | 75.1 | 67.5 | 6.435 | 40.3 |
| 56 | Philippines | 71.7 | 67.8 | 5.88 | 57.3 |
| 57 | Serbia | 76.5 | 52.2 | 6.078 | 61.8 |
| 58 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 77.9 | 54.9 | 5.813 | 57.1 |
| 59 | Malaysia | 76.7 | 70.0 | 5.384 | 47.1 |
| 60 | Argentina | 77.2 | 68.9 | 5.929 | 35.7 |
| 61 | Lebanon | 79.3 | 63.2 | 4.584 | 53.8 |
| 62 | Georgia | 74.2 | 54.8 | 4.891 | 74.1 |
| 63 | Russia | 73.0 | 59.7 | 5.477 | 60.7 |
| 64 | Bulgaria | 75.5 | 56.7 | 5.266 | 62.0 |
| 65 | Vietnam | 75.8 | 59.3 | 5.411 | 55.5 |
| 66 | Brazil | 76.6 | 58.2 | 6.33 | 33.4 |
| 67 | Albania | 79.0 | 49.6 | 5.117 | 54.3 |
| 68 | Kazakhstan | 73.9 | 59.9 | 6.152 | 47.3 |
| 69 | North Macedonia | 76.3 | 55.3 | 5.101 | 59.1 |
| 70 | Jordan | 75.0 | 64.9 | 4.395 | 59.0 |
| 71 | Nepal | 71.7 | 57.0 | 5.269 | 62.4 |
| 72 | Azerbaijan | 73.3 | 46.8 | 5.171 | 68.2 |
| 73 | Tunisia | 77.4 | 57.1 | 4.596 | 55.4 |
| 74 | Indonesia | 72.3 | 60.5 | 5.345 | 54.1 |
| 75 | Peru | 77.4 | 55.9 | 5.84 | 32.4 |
| 76 | Pakistan | 67.8 | 59.5 | 4.934 | 57.7 |
| 77 | India | 70.4 | 65.1 | 3.819 | 55.4 |
| 78 | Morocco | 77.4 | 45.8 | 4.918 | 53.2 |
| 79 | Algeria | 77.5 | 53.6 | 4.887 | 47.4 |
| 80 | Iran | 77.3 | 52.3 | 4.721 | 50.1 |
| 81 | Dominican Republic | 74.7 | 55.5 | 5.545 | 38.8 |
| 82 | Belarus | 75.2 | 47.1 | 5.534 | 43.6 |
| 83 | Ukraine | 72.5 | 55.2 | 4.875 | 53.3 |
| 84 | South Africa | 64.9 | 63.7 | 4.956 | 24.6 |
| 85 | Kenya | 67.5 | 61.8 | 4.607 | 43.0 |
| 86 | Iraq | 71.1 | 43.5 | 4.854 | 53.9 |
| 87 | Egypt | 72.5 | 47.6 | 4.283 | 52.8 |
| 88 | Bangladesh | 73.6 | 42.3 | 5.025 | 37.4 |
| 89 | Venezuela | 72.3 | 39.3 | 4.892 | 17.4 |
| 90 | Nigeria | 55.8 | 48.5 | 4.759 | 34.5 |
Our findings show that the best country for older adults to live in is Switzerland. Switzerland has the 3rd highest life expectancy, the 16th highest Health Care Index score, the 3rd highest score on the World Happiness Report and the 5th highest Safety Index score.
The other countries which make up the top five are Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom ranks all the way down at No. 27. The United Kingdom has the 27th highest life expectancy, the 17th highest Health Care Index score, the 17th highest score on the World Happiness Report and the 62nd highest Safety Index score.
From the countries we collected data on, our findings show that the worst country for older adults to live in is Nigeria. The other countries in the bottom five are Venezuela, Bangladesh, Egypt and Iraq.
Sources:
Life expectancy (2020)
Health Care Index (2023)
World Happiness Report (2023)
Safety Index (2023)
Other sources
https://www.cbsnews.com/media/the-10-best-countries-to-live-in-for-people-over-60/
https://healthcare-digital.com/digital-healthcare/what-do-care-systems-look-around-world
https://melrosecare.co.uk/2020/02/10/which-countries-are-the-best-when-it-comes-to-elderly-care/ https://arosacare.com/senior-care-around-the-world/
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