Monday 23 June 2025 Esma Betül Savaş successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled ‘Retirement reimagined: The determinants and social consequences of international retirement migration‘ at the University of Groningen.
International retirement migrants move abroad to a new country around the age of retirement, often in search of a better quality of life. This thesis explores why some retirees migrate while others stay in the Netherlands and how the retirement migrants adapt to life abroad, focusing especially on the social consequences of retiring in a new country.
Using a novel survey of Dutch retirees—both those who migrated and those who stayed in the Netherlands—this thesis examines what makes someone more likely to retire abroad. It finds that retirement migrants are often adventurous, have a higher occupational status, and embrace cultural values linked to individualism and countercultural movements. Having strong social ties in the home country, however, makes migration less likely.
Once abroad, social integration can be challenging. Language barriers and previous connections to the destination country play a key role in how retirees form relationships with locals. While many retirees successfully integrate, some struggle with loneliness. Retirement migrants tend to feel more socially lonely than those who remain in their home country, especially if they lose contact with old friends or family. However, those who build strong local connections and feel a sense of belonging in their new home are less likely to experience loneliness. Overall, this thesis sheds light on the growing trend of retirement migration, highlighting both its social benefits and its challenges for older adults.
This work is part of the project ‘A place to grow old? The risks and rewards of retirement migration’, funded by NWO-MaGW (grant number 406.18. SW.022). The studies in this thesis were conducted within the Health in Context Research Institute of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and under auspices of the research program Public Health Research (PHR).
For more information on the PhD defence see the University of Groningen website.
