Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Virgin Islands instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
live 14.5 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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.
Economy
be 21.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Papua New Guinea, 37.0% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Virgin Islands, however, that number is 28.9% as of 2002.
make 14.7 times more money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Virgin Islands, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 75.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 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.
have 54.3% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.9 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Virgin Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2022.
be 86.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Virgin Islands, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 96.4% less coastline
Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.
Safety
be 5.3 times more likely to be murdered
Papua New Guinea has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2010. In Virgin Islands, that number is 49.6 per 100,000 as of 2012.
Infrastructure
find 43.8 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Virgin Islands has 10.1 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2002–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2012). How we calculate this
Compare further: Papua New Guinea vs. Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands: At a glance
How big is Virgin Islands compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.