If you lived in Virgin Islands instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

live 1.2 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Virgin Islands, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 10.6% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Life

be 91.3% more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 30.7% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 98.8% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 73.5% less home broadband

New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Virgin Islands has 10.1 as of 2022.

View global rankings →


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.
Read more

How big is Virgin Islands compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Virgin Islands or New Zealand. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.