Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 3.3 years longer

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 78.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.

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make 18.9% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.

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Life

be 76.5% 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 Japan, on the other hand, 1.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 48.6% fewer children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 32.0% more likely to have internet access

In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 158.2 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Japan, that number is 29,751 km.

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Infrastructure

find 3.8 times more home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.

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

Compare further: Virgin Islands vs. Japan

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Japan is 57.9% cheaper than Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Virgin Islands is about 198 times smaller than Japan.
→
Moving from Virgin Islands to Japan · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Japan: At a glance

Japan is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 364,485 sq km. In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and an ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold actual decision-making power. Following three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains a major economic power. In March 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake, and an accompanying tsunami, devastated the northeast part of Honshu island, killing thousands and damaging several nuclear power plants. The catastrophe hobbled the country's economy and its energy infrastructure, and tested its ability to deal with humanitarian disasters.
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How big is Japan compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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