Manama ‘one of the best places to retire’

MANAMA has been ranked amongst the top 100 cities in the world and top 10 in the Middle East and Africa for retirees, according to a study conducted by a UK-based research firm.

The study compiled an indexed score assessing 18 different factors, broadly addressing city infrastructure, accessibility and liveability, which would specifically impact the lives of retirees.

Manama emerged as the ninth best city in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for retirees and 94th globally, out of ‘thousands’ of cities surveyed.

“In order to establish the locations with the best environments for retirees, we began by assessing thousands of global cities with comparable data before compiling a list of the top 100 ranking cities for local retirement infrastructure as well as asset management,” a spokesperson from the research firm Veolar said.

“Firstly, we looked at the infrastructure of each city by analysing the quality of healthcare services, mobility options and housing, as well as the financial security and legacy management benefits available to retirees in each city.”

The results assess global cities offering the best environments for local retirees as well as a ranking of the best cities for legacy management.

Data sources include the World Health Organisation, World Bank, local governments and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In order, the best cities in the MEA region for retirees

Bahrain got an indexed score of above 80 in the five sub-categories within the city infrastructure segment, with its legacy management being ranked the fifth-best city globally for local retirees and fourth-best for all retirees.

Legacy management reflects how easily retirees can manage their inheritance, with a higher score indicating easy management, low costs and easy-to-navigate rules. It is based on national regulations including inheritance, estate and gift taxes.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Tbilisi lead the charts for legacy management for local retirees. The top three best cities in general for legacy management are Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

“Following this, we evaluated the access retirees have to quality healthcare services and public transport in each location as well as how well connected each city is with other parts of the world,” added a statement.

In the accessibility segment, Manama did well in healthcare accessibility, but was ranked poorly in quality of public transport and ease of travel.

It was ranked 10th, 14th and 12th amongst the top 15 cities in MEA for healthcare access, public transport quality and travel ease, respectively.

The study went on to state: “Then, we considered the quality of life for retired people in each city. To do this, we rated each city’s cultural offering by assessing the number and quality of museums, public parks and spaces, senior-focused events, and restaurants.

“In addition, we evaluated each city’s safety, proximity to conflict or political unrest, air quality, and the quality of its tourism infrastructure, in addition to the life expectancy of its citizens.”

In the liveability segment, Bahrain’s safety was praised, as the country was ranked the fourth-safest in MEA, based on number of reported crimes per capita, hazard exposure, homicide rates, occurrence of hate crimes and perception of safety walking alone at night. Globally, it was ranked 17th, in terms of safety.

The research was conducted by Veolar in partnership with Germany-based Magmatic Research.

Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1060749/Manama-%E2%80%98one-of-the-best-places-to-retire%E2%80%99