British Virgin Islands vs Malta
Malta is 2.09 times larger than British Virgin Islands. British Virgin Islands would fit into Malta about 2.1 times.
British Virgin IslandsMaltaBritish Virgin Islands moved onto Malta · Equal-area projection
0.48×
British Virgin Islands is 0.48× the area of Malta. Put the other way, Malta is 2.09× the size of British Virgin Islands.
 British Virgin Islands |  Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMalta: 2.09× the area | 151 km² | 316 km²#186 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMalta: 14.6× the population | 39,7322025 | 579,704#166 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMalta: 6.97× the density | 263 / km² | 1,835 / km²#4 of 194 |
| Urban populationMalta: 1.67× the urban share | 57%2025 | 96%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBritish Virgin Islands: 1.04× the births per woman | 1.05 per woman2024 | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalta: 1.23 points higher | +0.66%2025 | +1.89%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBritish Virgin Islands: 1.06× the birth rate | 8.2 per 1,0002024 | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMalta: 1.22× the death rate | 6.0 per 1,0002024 | 7.3 per 1,000#93 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15British Virgin Islands: 1.2 points higher | 14.1%2025 | 12.9%#182 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Malta: 10.4 points higher | 10.1%2025 | 20.5%#28 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalta: 5.0 per 1,000 higher | +3.9 per 1,0002025 | +8.9 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,0002025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMalta: 5.6 years longer | 77.4 years2024 | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBritish Virgin Islands: 2.43× the infant mortality | 11.4 per 1,000 births2024 | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 4.51 per 1,000#16 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentMalta: 2.72× the university enrolment | 29.6%2024 | 80.5%#23 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.924#23 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $41,440#26 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDP | — | $27.77B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $72,210#21 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growth | — | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| Unemployment | — | 2.9%#144 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agriculture | — | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industry | — | 17.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in services | — | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 170.1% of GDP#1 of 184 · 2024 |
| Exports | — | 119.1% of GDP#5 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 0.5% of GDP#146 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 94%#33 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMalta: 1.53× the mobile subscriptions | 93 per 1002024 | 142 per 100#32 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBritish Virgin Islands: 16.1× the forest share | 24% of land2023 | 2% of land#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalta: 1.36× the CO₂ per person | 2.33 t a year2024 | 3.18 t a year#81 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMalta: 7.3 points higher | 1.3%2022 | 8.6%#150 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 10.8 µg/m³#149 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMalta: 18.5 points higher | 10.5% of land2025 | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMalta: 9.0 points higher | 13.2% of land2024 | 22.2% of land#46 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 72.6%#24 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 560 mm#137 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | — | +1.04#31 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruption | — | +0.18#72 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of United Kingdom | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryOverseas Territory of the UK with limited self-government; parliamentary democracy | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | Road Town | Valletta |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | English | English, Maltese |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +1 284 | +356 |
| Region | Caribbean, North America | Southern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. British Virgin Islands sits at about 19° N and is stretched to 1.11× its true area; Malta at 36° N is stretched to 1.52×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is British Virgin Islands bigger than Malta?
- No. British Virgin Islands is 2.09 times smaller than Malta. British Virgin Islands covers 151 km² and Malta covers 316 km².
- How many times does British Virgin Islands fit into Malta?
- About 2.1 times: Malta has 2.09× the area of British Virgin Islands.
- Why do British Virgin Islands and Malta look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. British Virgin Islands is drawn about 1.11× its true area there and Malta about 1.52×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, British Virgin Islands or Malta?
- Malta: 579,704 people against 39,732. Density: British Virgin Islands 263 per km², Malta 1,835 per km².
- Where do people live longer, British Virgin Islands or Malta?
- In Malta: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 77.4 — 5.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do British Virgin Islands and Malta have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — British Virgin Islands: dependent territory; Malta: parliamentary republic.