Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Virgin Islands instead of Barbados, you would:

Health

live 4.4 years longer

In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 56.3% more money

Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.

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be 75.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Virgin Islands, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 15.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Barbados, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 93.8% more coastline

Barbados has a total of 97 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Infrastructure

find 73.1% less home broadband

Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Virgin Islands has 10.1 as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Barbados vs. Virgin Islands

Cost of Living Comparison · 6 categories - 2026 data
Virgin Islands is 39.4% more expensive than Barbados overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Barbados is about 4.4 times smaller than Virgin Islands.
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Moving from Barbados to Virgin Islands · UN DESA 2020
367 people born in Barbados live in Virgin Islands.
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Virgin Islands: At a glance

Virgin Islands (sometimes abbreviated USVI) is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 346 sq km. The Danes secured control over the southern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Sugarcane, produced by African slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish holdings, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
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How big is Virgin Islands compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.

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