Panama offers high quality health care and modern hospitals in the metropolitan areas. For example, the Johns Hopkins-affiliated Punta Pacifica Hospital is the most technologically advanced medical center in Latin America.

Scoring a country on its climate is difficult, because everyone has their own ideas on what sort of weather they enjoy most. But it was Italy’s ability to cater to all tastes that saw it surge to the top of the Index in this category. The weather in Italy is quite different from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate with many of its inland northern regions enjoying weather more on par with...

For the first time, the planet’s population has crossed the seven billion mark. The world’s population has increased more than tenfold in the past three centuries, and it is expected to reach 10 billion in this century. To put this in perspective, human biomass is already 100 times larger than that of any other animal that has ever lived on the planet.

Somewhere far out in the South Pacific lies a network of near-perfect castaway islands. Fifteen in all, their beaches are of white-powdered sands, the waters aquamarine and turquoise, and the climate ideal. From the shores of palm-fringed lagoons rise soaring volcanic peaks clad in lush green jungle.

Expat Juliette Cunliffe gets up at sunrise to enjoy the view from her bedroom. With a home perched high on a ridge above Lake Phewa Tal, she can gaze out at the snow-capped Annapurna mountains, look down at the town of Pokhara along the lakeshore, and plan her day in the lush foothills of the Nepalese Himalayas. Sixty-one-year-old Juliette was a successful author in England before packing up her belongings and opening a guesthouse and restaurant in Nepal.

In the modern world, you live to work, but in Ecuador, you work to live,” says Jeff Stern of his new home in the country’s colonial capital. Becoming a successful chocolatier who creates artisanal chocolates is just the latest twist in Jeff’s journey. A San Diego native, Jeff first visited Ecuador in 1994 when studying for a Master’s degree in community and regional planning. After a short career in foreign aid development, he changed course in 2001 and started down a culinary path. Jeff worked in restaurants, catering, and as a personal chef before a part-time job in a chocolate store opened his eyes to the world of chocolate.

Six months from now, you could be living in paradise… for much less than it costs you to stay home. In the best destinations overseas, your dollar just goes further…first class healthcare is affordable…you can keep a housekeeper or gardener…and live better than you can back home for a fraction of what you pay now…

Colombia’s cities have a little something for everyone. Cali is famous for its tropical climate and salsa fever. Medellín is a livable, sophisticated city with modern architecture and beautiful people. Bogotá, Colombia's capital, offers international dining, globally renowned festivals and museums, and colonial Cartagena is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage site.

My foot hovers over the brake of my little black Peugeot rental car as yet another hairpin bend comes into view. There’s a sharp intake of breath from my front-seat passenger, who is clinging to her seat as she tries not to look out her window at the steep cliff edge. By contrast, my back-seat passenger is furiously taking photos of the stunning scenery below us.

This home is in a chic beach community called Punta Blanca around 15 minutes north of Salinas on Ecuador’s Pacific Coast. Sitting right next to a long white-sand beach, the community feels private, with spacious architect-designed houses and an exclusive beach club.