Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in British Virgin Islands instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

live 14.4 years longer

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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 2.4 times more money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in British Virgin Islands, the GDP per capita is $34,200 as of 2017.

be 89.6% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In British Virgin Islands, that number is 2.9% as of 2015.

Life

be 45.3% less likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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 38.4% fewer children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 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 15.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In British Virgin Islands, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 60.6% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. British Virgin Islands spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 97.1% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 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 South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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