U.S. Virgin Islands profile

Demography and Health

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) is a small, highly populated territory with 104,377 residents reported in 2024, ranking 191 by population among countries and territories. The population size implies a tight, community-oriented society with limited domestic market scale, which influences public service provision, labor dynamics, and social policy. Demographic pressures are shaped by modest natural increase and migration patterns: in 2023, births were 11.4 per 1,000 people and deaths were 9.0 per 1,000, suggesting a natural increase around 2.4 per 1,000 – a gentle growth signal in the absence of migration. However, net migration recorded for 2024 was negative, at −420 people, indicating a outflow of residents that can dampen population growth and potentially shift age structure over time. Life expectancy at birth stands at 80.5 years in 2023, placing the territory among regions with strong overall health outcomes and suggesting effective health systems and living conditions relative to many peers. The combination of a stable birth rate, rising life expectancy, and outmigration creates a nuanced demography: a relatively aging profile may begin to emerge if migration continues to pull younger cohorts away, with implications for healthcare demand and labor supply. Overall, the data point to a small, relatively prosperous population where health indicators are favorable, even as demographic dynamics emphasize the need to manage migration and aging-related service needs.

Economy

The USVI demonstrates a high per‑capita income profile within its regional context. GDP per capita (current US$) is 44,321 in 2022, with GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) of 49,793 in the same year, indicating substantial average living standards and the capacity to support advanced services and amenities. A striking feature of the economy is its service orientation: exports of goods and services accounted for 97.4% of GDP in 2022, ranking 11th globally, which signals a heavy reliance on sectors such as tourism, financial services, and other service exports that channel income from external demand. By contrast, imports of goods and services stood at 108.0% of GDP in 2022 (rank 8), implying that the territory imports a large share of its goods and services consumption, which is typical for small economies with open trade and a high dependence on external inputs. Taken together, these dynamics suggest a closed to moderate domestic market complemented by a robust service export base, but with ongoing needs to import consumer goods, capital equipment, and energy services to sustain demand and growth. The high per-capita metrics imply a level of prosperity that can attract skilled labor and investment, while the dependency on external trade highlights exposure to global price volatility and supply chain disruptions. In governance terms, indicators of policy and regulatory quality are relatively strong, which can support a stable macro environment for investment and business planning.

Trade and Investment

Trade metrics underscore a service-led export profile paired with substantial import dependence. Exports of goods and services as a share of GDP reach 97.4% in 2022, indicating that the territory earns a large portion of its economic value from activities beyond traditional goods manufacturing, likely dominated by tourism, financial services, and related professional services. Imports of goods and services at 108.0% of GDP in 2022 reveal a substantial reliance on external goods and inputs to meet domestic demand and maintain the service economy’s operations. The combination of high export performance and high import intensity reflects a small, openness-driven economy with strong external linkages. This structure can support high living standards but also makes the economy sensitive to tourism cycles, global financial conditions, and commodity price fluctuations. The regulatory environment—evidenced by favorable scores in regulatory quality (1.35, rank 22) and rule of law (0.948, rank 35)—helps create a predictable framework for investment and business activity, though views on corruption (control of corruption −0.0185, rank 86) suggest attention to governance and transparency remains relevant. Overall, the USVI’s trade and investment landscape points to opportunities anchored in service exports and cross-border capital flows, while continued diversification and resilience to external shocks are prudent considerations for future growth.

Governance and Institutions

Governance indicators present a nuanced picture of the USVI’s institutional framework. Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism register at 0.535 (2023), rank 69, signaling an acceptable level of political steadiness within the territorial and broader US context. Regulatory quality stands out at 1.35 (2023), rank 22, suggesting a relatively strong capacity to formulate and implement sound regulations that can support business and public administration. Rule of Law is 0.948 (2023), rank 35, indicating solid adherence to legal norms and contract enforcement. Government effectiveness is 0.654 (2023), rank 52, reflecting a functioning public sector capable of delivering services and policy outcomes. On the other hand, Control of Corruption sits at −0.0185 (2023), rank 86, which signals that perceived corruption control is modestly weak relative to peers and warrants continued attention to transparency and accountability. Taken together, these governance indicators imply a generally solid policy environment with effective institutions, but with room to further strengthen anti-corruption measures and governance resilience. The USVI’s status as a U.S. territory provides a framework of federal oversight and standards that can anchor these governance characteristics as the territory navigates local autonomy, federal programs, and cross-jurisdictional coordination.

Infrastructure and Technology

Infrastructure and technological adoption in the USVI are reflected through energy and environmental indicators. Renewable energy consumption accounts for 5.9% of total final energy consumption in 2022, with a relative position of 48 in rank. This suggests a low to moderate share of energy derived from renewables, leaving considerable room for expansion of solar, wind, and other clean energy sources to diversify the energy mix, increase resilience against fossil fuel price volatility, and advance sustainability goals. The per-capita greenhouse gas emissions, excluding Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF), are 0.233 t CO2e per capita in 2023, ranking 198, which is modest by global standards and reflects the smaller population, service-intensive economy, and energy consumption patterns. This relatively low carbon intensity, coupled with the limited renewable share, indicates potential for decarbonization initiatives that could further reduce emissions while supporting clean energy development. Infrastructure quality and technology readiness are not fully captured in the provided indicators, but the combination of high GDP per capita and a service-oriented economy suggests adequate infrastructure for finance, healthcare, hospitality, and digital services, alongside opportunities to modernize energy infrastructure and broadband connectivity as part of a broader modernization push.

Environment and Sustainability

Environmental performance in the USVI shows both advantages and challenges. The very low per-capita greenhouse gas emissions (0.233 t CO2e/capita) highlight an efficient footprint associated with a small population and a service-based economy, which often emits fewer direct emissions than high-industry economies. However, the renewable energy share of total final energy consumption is relatively modest at 5.9%, indicating substantial reliance on conventional energy sources and potential exposure to imported fuels—an important climate and energy security consideration for an island territory. The combination of low per-capita emissions and the high import reliance suggests that aggressive decarbonization and energy diversification could yield meaningful environmental and economic benefits, including improved resilience to external energy shocks and alignment with broader climate goals. Moreover, as a Caribbean territory, the USVI faces climate-related vulnerabilities such as extreme weather events and sea-level rise, which heighten the importance of sustainable infrastructure, resilient housing, and proactive environmental planning. In governance terms, the positive regulatory and rule-of-law indicators can support ambitious environmental policies, green investments, and transparent reporting on sustainability outcomes, while the relatively neutral control of corruption score signals the need for continued transparency to ensure effective implementation of environmental programs.