Philippines ranks 8th globally for foreign retirees, boosted by attractive tax regime

By Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales THE PHILIPPINES has emerged as one of the world’s most attractive destinations for foreign retirees, ranking 8th on the 2026 Rumavi Global Relocation Index. While the Philippines was 66th out of 192 countries in the general composite ranking, it outperformed in the retiree-specific metrics like general affordability (95.1) and housing affordability (91.0). According to Rumavi Pte. Ltd. Founder Alexander Linton, “The priorities that someone (in their) ’60s and retiring are going to be affordability, visa issues, and medical care,” Mr. Linton told BusinessWorld in an online interview on Monday. He added that the Philippines’ other advantages were high English proficiency, raising its profile among Western retirees. The Philippines’ tax treatment of foreign residents was also seen as advantageous, with holders of the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) generally not taxed on overseas income. “If you are earning money overseas, if you’re a pensioner or you have investment income somewhere overseas, you come to the Philippines and it is essentially tax free, which is of course a huge incentive,” Mr. Linton noted. He described the SRRV application process as “very straightforward” compared to many European jurisdictions. Nevertheless, the Philippines is still deemed a “frontier market” in terms of real estate. Foreigners are currently restricted to owning up to 40% of a condominium project and cannot own land directly. Mr. Linton said that while these restrictions make the Philippines less competitive for families needing space, they are less of a deterrent for retirees. “People who are generally retiring are looking for smaller spaces usually. And condos… are usually perfectly adequate for a retiring single or couple.” The Philippines was recently upgraded to upper-middle income country status by the World Bank. Mr. Linton believes further improvements in banking infrastructure and institutional strength will continue to elevate the country’s global standing. “The Philippines often unfortunately has been perceived as a very, very poor country. And now it’s kind of been widely publicized. Hey, the Philippines is actually a very well established economically,” he said. He identified better publicity for the SRRV and addressing climate challenges as top priorities if it is to become more attractive to global retirees.