Belgian Retirees Flock to Morocco: Essaouira Emerges as Affordable Paradise

In Belgium, many retirees prefer to live their retirement abroad. Out of approximately 226,000 retirees who now receive their pension outside Belgian territory, around 75,000 are Belgian nationals, according to official figures. They have chosen to settle permanently abroad. France is their primary destination. Nearly 27,000 Belgian retirees have settled in this country. The other most popular destinations are Spain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal and Italy. Outside the EU, it is the Swiss cities, the Turkish coasts and even distant countries like Thailand, Mauritius and Morocco that attract Belgian retirees.

As an illustration, the number of Belgian retirees in Morocco has doubled since 2014. Thailand and Portugal have also recorded increases of 130% and 348% respectively, according to L’Avenir. The motivations of many of them can be summed up as the search for a favorable climate, an affordable comfortable lifestyle or more attractive tax conditions. Monthly expenses in Morocco or Turkey, for example, are less than half of those in Belgium. In Essaouira, for example, a villa with a private pool can be rented for less than €1,000 per month, a price comparable to that of a mid-range house in Wallonia.

Another significant asset is the language. French-speaking Belgian retirees are more easily drawn to French-speaking destinations, such as Morocco, Tunisia and certain regions of Switzerland, than to more distant or less familiar countries that can pose administrative and cultural obstacles.