Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.8 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 59.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.

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make 68.7% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.

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Life

be 46.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Virgin Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.

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have 39.0% fewer children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 41.4% more likely to have internet access

In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.

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Geography

see 77.1 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

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Infrastructure

find 4.7 times more home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. China has 47.2 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Virgin Islands vs. China

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
China is 73.3% cheaper than Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Virgin Islands is about 5,025 times smaller than China.
→
Moving from Virgin Islands to China · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
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How big is China compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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