More Australians want to retire early than just about any other nationality, but we are also among the most likely to find it out of reach.

That's according to a global survey of early retirement intentions by HSBC, provided exclusively to Money.

Three out of four Australians aged 45 and over would like to retire within the next five years. Of 17 countries surveyed, only France and Argentina have significantly more people who want to retire early.

However, the survey also reveals that two out of five (43 per cent) people who say they want to retire say they will not be able to do so.