I never think of the possibility that my chosen retirement country could improve rather than decline.

I always worry about my chosen country would decline. This mentality is similar to risk management.

Q: Which country might outperform from a retiree’s point of view, including healthcare, government budget surplus/deficit, air/water, domestic helper cost, mobility aids, …
A: I feel SG is my favorite. China may improve.

Many worry about the small size of Singapore. Actually many European nations are similar in population. They have been rich and stable for a long time.

Based on my biased observation, U.S. and China are very big nations and tend to be slower to change.

Even though U.S. has the strongest economy, its size might work against it when it comes to fast progress. Look at Obamacare or pension reform or U.S. national debt. In this dynamic country, the dynamism is mostly in the private sector. In contrast, Singapore has a  decisive, nimble government.

Some U.S. local governments might improve provisions for retirees, but if it were possible for one municipality to make fast improvements, then it would be possible for many municipalities (and the entire country) to follow. This is rare.