Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 2.0 years longer

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 68.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 2.2 times more money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 72.5% 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 51.6% more likely to have internet access

In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iceland, about 98.2% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 26.4 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 3.7 times more home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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

Compare further: Virgin Islands vs. Iceland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Iceland is 3.6% more expensive than Virgin Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Virgin Islands is about 54 times smaller than Iceland.
→
Moving from Virgin Islands to Iceland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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