Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 8.0 years longer

In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 6.7 times more money

Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.

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be 4.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Virgin Islands, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 55.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 46.2% fewer children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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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Geography

see 53.0% less coastline

Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Infrastructure

find 88.6% more home broadband

Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. 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: Guatemala vs. Virgin Islands

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Virgin Islands is 2.3 times more expensive than Guatemala overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Guatemala is about 57 times bigger than Virgin Islands.
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Moving from Guatemala to Virgin Islands · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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 Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

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