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

Health

live 3.3 years longer

In Guam, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 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 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Guam, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Virgin Islands, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.

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be 25.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Guam, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2001. In Virgin Islands, however, that number is 28.9% as of 2002.

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Life

be 33.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Guam, approximately 11.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Virgin Islands, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2022.

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have 36.0% fewer children

In Guam, there are approximately 17.3 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 19.5% less likely to have internet access

In Guam, approximately 80.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Virgin Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 49.8% more coastline

Guam has a total of 126 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Infrastructure

find 5.5 times more home broadband

Guam has 1.8 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 (2001–2022). 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 Guam? See an in-depth size comparison.

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