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

Health

live 11.9 years longer

In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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

be 42.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Eritrea, 50.0% live below the poverty line as of 2004. In Virgin Islands, however, that number is 28.9% as of 2002.

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be 91.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Eritrea, 6.0% 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 69.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Eritrea, approximately 24.7 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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have 61.4% fewer children

In Eritrea, there are approximately 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 83.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Eritrea, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Virgin Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Virgin Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 91.6% less coastline

Eritrea has a total of 2,234 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Safety

be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered

Eritrea has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Virgin Islands, that number is 49.6 per 100,000 as of 2012.

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Infrastructure

find 59.2 times more home broadband

Eritrea has 0.2 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 (2002–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2022). How we calculate this

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 Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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