If you lived in British Virgin Islands instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

live 15.5 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 79.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, on the other hand, 11.4 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 72.7% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, there are 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 46.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, 100% of people do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 21.0% more on education

Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. British Virgin Islands spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 80.1% less coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 80 km.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 13.7 times more CO2

Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. British Virgin Islands emits 2.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2023–2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

British Virgin Islands: At a glance

British Virgin Islands (sometimes abbreviated BVI) is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 151 sq km. First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Read more

How big is British Virgin Islands compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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