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

Health

live 4.0 years longer

In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 3.4 times more money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.

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be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.8% 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

have 10.2% fewer children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 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 33.9% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 96.0% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Infrastructure

find 25.7% less home broadband

Malaysia has 13.6 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

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 Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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