Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Virgin Islands, you would:

Health

live 1.4 years longer

In Virgin Islands, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 50.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Virgin Islands, 12.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2023.

Life

be 21.0% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.

have 29.7% fewer children

In Virgin Islands, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 19.9% more likely to have internet access

In Virgin Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, about 77.7% do as of 2021.

Geography

see 2.7 times more coastline

Virgin Islands has a total of 188 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.

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

Puerto Rico: At a glance

Puerto Rico is a territory in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 8,959 sq km. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Christopher COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status with the US, but the results of a 2012 vote left open the possibility of American statehood.
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How big is Puerto Rico compared to Virgin Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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