The Motives Behind International Migration after Retirement: The Dutch Case

As older adults near the end of their working lives, they have the opportunity to reconsider their living arrangements. Freed from the constraints of employment, the transition to retirement may trigger a relocation.

In 2021, researchers from the Netherlands collected data from a nationally representative sample of Dutch retirement migrants across 40 destinations (N = 6,110). The study shows that Dutch retirement migration is not limited to Southern European destinations, but has a global character, with Thailand And the US in the top five destination countries. The results showed that migration was most likely between the ages of 65-70 and declines sharply after that age. Compared to retirees in the Netherlands who did not migrate, retirement migrants were in good health, more often had a partner but had weaker ties to their family and community in the country of origin. There was much diversity in people’s motives for migration in late life.

The table’s row totals present for selected migration motives the percentage of Dutch retirement migrants who reported that it had played a role in their decision to migrate. The most frequently mentioned motives included a better climate (84%), longing for tranquillity (84%), and the culture and people in the destination (76%). Also lower costs of living (66%), to start a new life (53%) and dissatisfaction with the public domain in the origin country (48%) were mentioned by many of these retirement migrants. Health reasons were reported considerably less often (38%), but not negligible.

To understand the decision to emigrate, it is often broken down into two parts: why people leave and where they go. These aspects, however, are not always entirely separate. It is therefore interesting to examine whether patterns in migration motives emerge among migrants in different destination countries. The table shows, for several motives, the country where each motive was reported most frequently.

The most well-known motives for migration were reported most often within Europe, and particularly in southern Europe. The motives of the climate and culture in the destination country are most often cited in Mediterranean regions such as Spain, Greece, and Portugal. Being popular tourist destinations may have contributed to a sense of familiarity, making the decision to migrate easier. These motives and destinations align with the classic image of the retirement migrants. The motive of tranquillity is most frequently mentioned elsewhere in Europe. In countries such as Sweden and France, as well as the Czech Republic, nature is most often identified as the primary reason for emigration. In the literature, this type of migrant is often described as someone seeking a rural idyll that contrasts with the busyness and high population density of urbanized areas in many European countries.

The motive of lower cost of living is most frequently mentioned by retirement migrants in Eastern Europe. In Hungary, 88 percent indicated that lower living costs played a role in their decision to migrate, and in countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, this motive was most often cited as the primary reason for moving abroad. In these cases, the level of pension income accumulated in the Netherlands may play a role, as the pension may be more sufficient in countries with a lower cost of living. This cost-related motive is not only mentioned in Eastern Europe; it is also frequently cited in countries such as Thailand and the Philippines. In some cases, a relatively high spending power of retirement migrants may have (adverse) implications for the local population.

Less often considered motives for migration were found to be important among retirement migrants in less popular destination countries. The motive of starting a new life was most often reported in very far-away countries, namely Thailand, the Philippines, and new Zealand. With this motive, distance and cultural differences are apparently less of an issue. The motive of dissatisfaction of the public domain was often reported among retirement migrants in Hungary, Greece and Thailand. For migration with a health motive, Turkey stood out in particular. Nearly 70 percent of Dutch retirement migrants in that country indicated that health reasons played a role in their decision to migrate. Turkey is well known for health tourism, with its favourable price-quality ratio being a major attraction. With the other countries where health played a role, (Spain and Greece), Turkey shares a pleasant climate, which may help alleviate health issues.

This detailed picture of international retirement migrants motives for migration makes clear that the traditional image of the retirement migrants seeking the sun in southern Europe only tells part of the story. This is also evident in the fact that people rarely cite a single motive for migration. When broken down by destination, the motives show clear regional differences. This highlights that, to understand late-life migration, the reasons for migrating cannot be viewed separately from the choice of a destination.

Note. Destination countries with less than 50 respondents were excluded.
Source: Survey of Dutch Retirement Migrants Abroad (DRM 2021 v1.3)

Henkens, K., Kalmijn, M., Van Dalen, H., Savaş, E. B., & Spaan, J. (2022). A survey of Dutch Retirement Migrants Abroad: Codebook version 1.0. Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)-KNAW/University of Groningen. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.26380.80009

Savaş, E.B., Henkens, K., Kalmijn, M. (2024), Who is aging out of place? The role of migrant selectivity in international retirement migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 50 (2): 461-482.

Spaan, J., Henkens, K., & Kalmijn, M. (2023). Understanding motives for international migration: A survey of Dutch retirement migrants in forty destinations. Population, Space and Place, 29(8), e2691. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2691