British Virgin Islands vs Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands is 20% larger than British Virgin Islands.
British Virgin IslandsMarshall IslandsBritish Virgin Islands moved onto Marshall Islands · Equal-area projection
0.83×
British Virgin Islands is 0.83× the area of Marshall Islands. Put the other way, Marshall Islands is 1.2× the size of British Virgin Islands.
 British Virgin Islands |  Marshall Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMarshall Islands: 1.2× the area | 151 km² | 181 km²#189 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBritish Virgin Islands: 1.1× the population | 39,7322025 | 36,282#190 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBritish Virgin Islands: 1.31× the density | 263 / km² | 200 / km²#50 of 194 |
| Urban populationMarshall Islands: 1.38× the urban share | 57%2025 | 79%#48 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMarshall Islands: 2.72× the births per woman | 1.05 per woman2024 | 2.86 per woman#57 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBritish Virgin Islands: 4.09 points higher | +0.66%2025 | −3.43%#192 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMarshall Islands: 2.45× the birth rate | 8.2 per 1,0002024 | 20.1 per 1,000#71 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMarshall Islands: 1.18× the death rate | 6.0 per 1,0002024 | 7.1 per 1,000#97 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Marshall Islands: 19.8 points higher | 14.1%2025 | 33.9%#54 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65British Virgin Islands: 5.2 points higher | 10.1%2025 | 4.9%#126 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBritish Virgin Islands: 50.7 per 1,000 higher | +3.9 per 1,0002025 | −46.8 per 1,000#192 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,0002025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBritish Virgin Islands: 10.3 years longer | 77.4 years2024 | 67.1 years#152 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMarshall Islands: 1.99× the infant mortality | 11.4 per 1,000 births2024 | 22.7 per 1,000 births#63 of 191 · 2024 |
| University enrolmentMarshall Islands: 1.27× the university enrolment | 29.6%2024 | 37.7%#94 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $9,710#81 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDP | — | $308M2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $8,964#132 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growth | — | +2.3%#124 of 187 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 2.1%#73 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 35.5#68 of 149 · 2019 |
| Foreign investment | — | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 36.0% of GDP#82 of 168 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 66%#127 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBritish Virgin Islands: 2.33× the mobile subscriptions | 93 per 1002024 | 40 per 100#186 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMarshall Islands: 2.22× the forest share | 24% of land2023 | 54% of land#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 2.33 t a year2024 | 0.00 t a year#183 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMarshall Islands: 10.9 points higher | 1.3%2022 | 12.2%#130 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBritish Virgin Islands: 2.8 points higher | 100.0%2024 | 97.2%#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 4.1 µg/m³#189 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMarshall Islands: 5.6 points higher | 10.5% of land2025 | 16.1% of land#106 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBritish Virgin Islands: 10.4 points higher | 13.2% of land2024 | 2.8% of land#152 of 190 · 2024 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | — | +1.52#3 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruption | — | +0.35#65 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of United Kingdom | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryOverseas Territory of the UK with limited self-government; parliamentary democracy | Parliamentary republicmixed presidential-parliamentary system in free association with the US |
| Capital | Road Town | Majuro |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English | English, Marshallese |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC−4 | UTC+12 |
| Calling code | +1 284 | +692 |
| Region | Caribbean, North America | Micronesia, Oceania |
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; Marshall Islands at 7° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 Marshall Islands?
- No. British Virgin Islands is 17% smaller than Marshall Islands. British Virgin Islands covers 151 km² and Marshall Islands covers 181 km².
- How many times does British Virgin Islands fit into Marshall Islands?
- About 1.2 times: Marshall Islands has 1.2× the area of British Virgin Islands.
- Why do British Virgin Islands and Marshall Islands 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 Marshall Islands about 1.02×. 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 Marshall Islands?
- British Virgin Islands: 39,732 people against 36,282. Density: British Virgin Islands 263 per km², Marshall Islands 200 per km².
- Where do people live longer, British Virgin Islands or Marshall Islands?
- In British Virgin Islands: life expectancy at birth is 77.4 years, against 67.1 — 10.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do British Virgin Islands and Marshall Islands have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — British Virgin Islands: dependent territory; Marshall Islands: parliamentary republic.