Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in British Virgin Islands instead of United Kingdom, you would:

Health

live 4.0 years less

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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.

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Life

be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 4.1 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.

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have 16.9% fewer children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, there are 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 18.6% less likely to have internet access

In United Kingdom, approximately 95.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 46.4% less on education

United Kingdom spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. British Virgin Islands spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 99.4% less coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 80 km.

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Infrastructure

find 40.9% less home broadband

United Kingdom has 42.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. British Virgin Islands has 24.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 44.8% less CO2

United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. British Virgin Islands emits 2.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: United Kingdom vs. British Virgin Islands

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
British Virgin Islands is 2.0% more expensive than United Kingdom overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
United Kingdom is about 1,613 times bigger than British Virgin Islands.
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Moving from United Kingdom to British Virgin Islands · UN DESA 2020
925 people born in United Kingdom live in British Virgin Islands.
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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.
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How big is British Virgin Islands compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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