For many workers, retirement abroad is the ultimate reward after a long career. But an increasing number are making the move earlier than planned. While some actively pursue early retirement overseas, others find themselves leaving work sooner than expected.
Retiring before the end of your career: A glimpse of the "retirement of the future"?
Who hasn't dreamed of stepping away from their career earlier than planned to enjoy a dream retirement abroad? Leaving sooner, while still in good health, with the energy to stay active in new ways. But this dream remains out of reach for many workers, forced to work until an increasingly advanced age just to save enough. In a world facing both demographic and economic crises, it's hard to consider an early retirement without being sure you can support yourself abroad.
But everything could soon change. In "10 or 20 years", according to Elon Musk. In April, he outlined his plan for a happy retirement on the Moonshots podcast. A plan built on AI. According to the billionaire, AI will handle production, and humans will no longer need to save. They'll work if they want to, and retire whenever they choose.
Few experts share Musk's optimism, even though his fortune could fund the retirements of thousands of people. The "economy of abundance" Musk describes remains a utopia. For now, saving is still essential.
While the economy of abundance isn't around the corner, a growing number of employees want to retire before the end of their careers. As more countries raise the legal retirement age, workers want to retire earlier, even if it means cutting back on their lifestyles.
The reasons are often the same: enjoying life while in good health, taking the trips and pursuing the activities they couldn't while working, moving abroad, spending more time with family, enjoying a better quality of life, taking on new challenges, and even... daring to pursue a "passion career".
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Differences across professions
Workers who have held physically demanding jobs since their youth are the first to consider early retirement. Thanks to favorable legislation in some countries, this wish can become a reality. France, for example, allows early retirement for long careers; Canada has an early retirement program for operational service. On the other hand, workers in less physically demanding professions and the self-employed are less tempted by early retirement. The main reasons: careers started later in life, careers with gaps, sometimes unstable income, and so on.
When it comes to expat life, many want to keep working. This is especially true for self-employed professionals, executives, and other employees in the service sector. Combining work and retirement abroad is ideal for pursuing a passion career; more simply, it can also help retirees maintain a certain standard of living. That said, the appeal of working abroad in retirement is generally weaker among retirees with long careers in physically demanding jobs.
Economic instability doesn't seem to discourage early retirees. Rather than risk being laid off, workers prefer to leave while they're still at the top of their game. It's worth noting, however, that the wish often remains just a wish, except for those eligible for early retirement (long careers, specific professions). Many employees don't meet the criteria for a full pension. The penalties for early retirement often force people to keep working.
Leaving before the end of one's career isn't always a voluntary choice. In the United States, for example, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that in 2025, 76% of early retirements were due to factors "beyond the control" of workers. Health problems and company difficulties (layoffs, restructuring, etc.) were among the main reasons for these retirements before the legal age.
What are the consequences for the job market?
The impact of unfilled positions on the job market is clear, particularly in the medical sector, which is facing a global shortage of doctors. It's harder to measure the precise impact of early retirements. This isn't a phenomenon comparable to the "Great Resignation" seen in the United States between 2020 and 2021.
Because they can have significant consequences for the rest of your life, early retirement plans aren't universally embraced. Or rather, the desire may be there, but making it happen is another matter. Workers' financial situations don't always allow the project to come to fruition.
Another trend is emerging: early retirement abroad is no longer limited to wealthy workers. Less privileged employees are also taking the plunge and moving overseas. They're choosing countries with a lower cost of living than their home country. This trend has taken hold, particularly as pension reforms have rolled out in various countries. Successive crises are also cited: today's retirees want to leave to enjoy life abroad.
Experts, however, strongly urge caution. All the calculations need to be done to ensure early retirement is legally possible and that the reduced pension is sufficient to live on abroad while waiting for the full pension.
Is early retirement always a good idea?
What if leaving before the legal retirement age wasn't such a great option after all? Researchers have looked into the relationship between "early retirement" and "good health". According to the 2026 report from the US National Bureau of Economic Research, retiring before 65 could increase the risk of faster cognitive decline: losing words or jumbling sentences, trouble concentrating, increasingly frequent "small" memory lapses... these warning signs are often ignored because they blend into daily life.
Researchers acknowledge that this decline is most evident among workers forced into early retirement. The mindset is obviously different when you're forced to leave your job. Senior unemployment is another global challenge. In Italy, France, Morocco, and Switzerland, long-term unemployment among people over 50 remains a major issue.
According to researchers, early retirement (abroad or not) is not, in itself, the cause of cognitive decline. The same effects can be seen in long-term unemployed seniors or those who retired voluntarily. What's really at play here is what's known as "resting brain syndrome". When the brain is no longer stimulated by a regular activity, whether paid or not, it shifts into rest mode: you talk less, have fewer social interactions, move less, and so on. Of course, this isn't to say "no" to early retirement, since there's no ideal age at which you can retire without any risk to the brain. The point is rather to properly prepare for retirement, especially if it takes place abroad.
What should you consider when retiring abroad early?
Preparation is your best ally. This is even more true for those planning to retire abroad. Retirement specialists recommend preparing for retirement around 5 years before your planned departure. Taking a retirement preparation course is highly recommended (your company may even offer one). When it comes to moving abroad, you should check with your health insurance provider (medical care, pension payments, etc.). Knowing the key local laws is essential: health coverage, taxation, real estate, driver's licenses, the right to work locally, and so on. Expat specialists can help future expats plan their retirement abroad.
Freelance web writer specializing in political and socioeconomic news, Asaël Häzaq analyses about international economic trends. Thanks to her experience as an expat in Japan, she offers advices about living abroad : visa, studies, job search, working life, language, country. Holding a Master's degree in Law and Political Science, she has also experienced life as a digital nomad.
