Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 11.4 years longer

In Palau, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 2.3 times more money

Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.

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Life

be 58.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Palau, approximately 18.6 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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Basic Needs

be 22.8% less likely to have internet access

In Palau, approximately 83.9% 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 87.6% less coastline

Palau has a total of 1,519 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Infrastructure

find 37.4% more home broadband

Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. 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: Palau vs. Virgin Islands

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Virgin Islands is 66.2% more expensive than Palau overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Palau is about 4.2 times smaller than Virgin Islands.
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Moving from Palau 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 Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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