Dorset named best place to retire in England and Wales

South-west region scores highly for quality of life factors

Dorset’s historic town of Christchurch has also been dubbed the retirement capital of England as it has the highest percentage of retirees at 29.7 per cent of its population (RJ Higginson)

Dorset has come top of a list of the best places in England and Wales to retire, scoring highly for quality of life factors such as good health, property ownership and marriage.

In an analysis done using Office of National Statistics data, the insurance company Prudential ranked local authorities in England and Wales from best to worst as places for retirement. The county of Dorset scored the highest; with 46 points out of a possible 50. Dorset’s historic town of Christchurch has also been dubbed the retirement capital of England as it has the highest percentage of retirees at 29.7 per cent of its population.

As well as factors such as marriage and good health in retirement the “propensity to travel among pensioners" was also considered a factor – shown by the percentage of pensioners who hold a passport in each area. Another crucial factor considered by Prudential was the percentage of people in each area who can provide unpaid care such as the relatives of pensioners.

Vince Smith-Hughes, a retirement expert at Prudential, said: “Our analysis clearly shows that the quality of life experienced by retirees varies significantly across the country. However, it is not always possible for people to up sticks and move to a location they consider to be more desirable, when the time comes to give up work. Family ties and the cost of moving home often dictate where people find themselves living as pensioners.”

Click through the gallery above to see the top ten in full.