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

Health

live 7.0 years longer

In Suriname, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 6.3 times more money

Suriname has a GDP per capita of $7,070 as of 2025, while in Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $44,321 as of 2022.

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be 46.1% more likely to be unemployed

In Suriname, 7.8% 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

be 48.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Suriname, approximately 14.8 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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have 35.3% fewer children

In Suriname, there are approximately 17.1 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 25.9% less likely to have internet access

In Suriname, approximately 87.4% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Virgin Islands, about 64.8% do as of 2022.

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Geography

see 51.3% less coastline

Suriname has a total of 386 km of coastline. In Virgin Islands, that number is 188 km.

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Infrastructure

find 46.3% less home broadband

Suriname has 18.8 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 Suriname? See an in-depth size comparison.

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