Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in British Virgin Islands instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:

Health

live 10.2 years longer

In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 8.1 times more money

Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $4,200 as of 2023, while in British Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $34,200 as of 2017.

Life

be 57.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 33.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In British Virgin Islands, on the other hand, 14.2 children do as of 2022.

have 61.2% fewer children

In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In British Virgin Islands, there are 10.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 5.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 19% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In British Virgin Islands, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 32.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In British Virgin Islands, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

be 2.1 times more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 48% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In British Virgin Islands, 100% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 85.7% more on education

Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. British Virgin Islands spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 98.4% less coastline

Papua New Guinea has a total of 5,152 km of coastline. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 80 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

British Virgin Islands: At a glance

British Virgin Islands (sometimes abbreviated BVI) is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 151 sq km. First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
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How big is British Virgin Islands compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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