Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 4.0 years less

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Malaysia, that number is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 67.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malaysia, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

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make 70.4% less money

Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in Malaysia, the GDP per capita is $13,125 as of 2025.

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Life

have 11.4% more children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Malaysia, there are 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 51.3% more likely to have internet access

In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Malaysia, about 98.0% do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 24.9 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Malaysia, that number is 4,675 km.

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Infrastructure

find 34.6% more home broadband

Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Malaysia has 13.6 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. Malaysia

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Malaysia is 71.0% cheaper than Virgin Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Virgin Islands is about 173 times smaller than Malaysia.
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Moving from Virgin Islands to Malaysia · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Malaysia: At a glance

Malaysia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 328,657 sq km. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula except Singapore formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore, as well as Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's independence were marred by a communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's withdrawal in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to the development of manufacturing, services, and tourism. Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (in office since April 2009) has continued these pro-business policies and has introduced some civil reforms.
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How big is Malaysia compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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