Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Virgin Islands, you would:
Health
live 14.5 years less
In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 77.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Virgin Islands, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
be 28.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Virgin Islands, 28.9% live below the poverty line as of 2002. In Papua New Guinea, however, that number is 37.0% as of 2002.
make 93.2% less money
Virgin Islands has a GDP per capita of $44,321 as of 2022, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $3,020 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, there are 24.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.1 times more 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 Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 31.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 79.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Virgin Islands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 20% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 71.0% less likely to have internet access
In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, about 18.8% do as of 2024.
be 46.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Virgin Islands, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Papua New Guinea, 53% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 27.4 times more coastline
Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
Safety
be 81.0% less likely to be murdered
Virgin Islands has a homicide rate of 49.6 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2010.
Infrastructure
find 97.7% less home broadband
Virgin Islands has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Papua New Guinea has 0.2 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2002–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2012). How we calculate this
Compare further: Virgin Islands vs. Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.