How the scores work

The formula, in full

1. Base country quality

   Each destination is assessed across 39 criteria from an Australian lens — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety, property rights and residency path. That produces the base score you see before anything about you is applied.

2. Passport overlay

   Your citizenship changes the answer materially: whether a double-tax treaty is in force, how your specific pension type is treated, and how far the flight home is. This adjustment is shown as its own line.

3. Life-stage overlay

   Retiring at 62 with a pension flowing is a different problem from leaving work at 41 on investments. Countries that are excellent for one can be closed to the other.

4. Age gate — -6 points

   If the classic retirement visa opens above your age, you are on the alternative route, which is usually a harder bar. Thailand opens at 50, Malta at 55, Bali at 60, and Vietnam has no retirement visa at all.

5. Tax-deal runway — -3 points if under 15 years

   A ten-year tax holiday is a gift at 70 and a trap at 41, because you will outlive it and face a step-up you did not plan for. Short runways are penalised.

6. Remote route — +2 points

   If you are still earning and the country has a named route that fits that, it counts in your favour.

7. Your priorities — optional

   Turn any of the six axes up or down and each one contributes up to 6 points, shown as its own labelled line. Leave them alone and you get the balanced view.

Final score is clamped to 1–99. We do not award 100 because no country is perfect for anyone.

What the score is not

Best-fit is a Thon composite: base country quality + passport overlay (treaty, flight, pension rules) + life-stage overlay (age-open visas, tax-deal runway, healthcare now vs 70+). It is a decision aid, not a prediction.

It is not a prediction, not a recommendation, and not advice. Two people holding the same passport should reasonably rank these countries differently — which is exactly why the working is shown rather than hidden.

The 39 criteria