Global Citizen Solutions (“GCS”), a leading advisory firm in citizenship and residency planning, has published new research identifying nine regions—located within countries where GCS provides advisory services—that parallel key features of the health and wellness characteristics of the world’s original Blue Zones.
The Briefing extends the traditional Blue Zones concept — regions such as Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Loma Linda (U.S.), Nicoya (Costa Rica), and Ikaria (Greece) — and applies similar metrics to new areas including regions in Europe and the Caribbean. The study, produced by GCS’s Global Intelligence Unit, “Extending the Blue Zone Model: New Destinations for Quality of Life and Sustainable Mobility,” evaluates life expectancy, quality of life, and climate indicators, to find potential emerging Blue Zones that support healthier, longer, and more sustainable living.
The research identifies four replicable elements common across both established and emerging Blue Zones:
- Plant-forward Mediterranean or Atlantic diets rich in vegetables, olive oil, and fish
- Integrated natural movement through walkable terrain and outdoor living
- Strong multigenerational community structures supporting social vitality
- Favorable climates that enable year-round physical activity
The report categorizes “strong candidates” (Galicia in Spain; the Azores and Madeira in Portugal; Muğla in Turkey) and “moderate contenders” (the Basque Country in Spain; Sparta–Mystras in Greece) as environments that support long, healthy living, demonstrating that longevity can be intentionally shaped through culture and place.
While the original Blue Zones were identified retrospectively, the regions highlighted in this study represent forward-looking opportunities for people seeking to intentionally build longevity into their lives through relocation. As lifestyle has become a leading motivation for global relocation—surpassing career opportunities for many internationally mobile individuals—the briefing also outlines the visa and residency pathways available across these regions.
“We are increasingly aware that well-being is shaped not just by genetics but by environment and daily habits,” said Liana Simonyan, researcher at GCS’s Global Intelligence Unit. “These regions provide structured access to environments associated with longer, healthier lives.”
As COP30 is drawing to a close in Brazil’s Amazon region and global attention turned to climate and sustainability, the Global Intelligence Unit’s research highlights that Blue Zone lifestyles—also anchored in walkable environments, community-based living, and plant-forward diets—demonstrate that optimizing human health is inherently climate-positive.
