Population
39k persons, 1 July latest value, 2023
Population on 1 July. UN estimate to 2023, medium variant from 2024; past UN revisions for forecast checks.
British Virgin Islands
All indicators of the Macroscope base for British Virgin Islands, with sources. Below: what past UN and IMF releases projected and what actually happened.
What the data shows
Computed with the same code as the observations under the main chart and in the API (get_insights). Moving together in time does not prove a cause.
How the indicators changed
- Fertility (TFR): 5.05 in 1950 → 1.05 in 2023 (−79%). Peak: 5.30 in 1955; the latest value is 80% lower. Thresholds: below 2.1 since 1984, below 1.5 since 2005. The trend broke around 1956 and 1986: +0.02 → −0.11 → −0.03 a year.
- Births: 0.25k in 1950 → 0.33k in 2023 (+28%). Low: 0.21k in 2002; +56% since then. The trend broke around 1976 and 1982: 0k → −0.01k → 0k a year.
- Population: 7.37k in 1950 → 39k in 2023 (×5.3). The trend broke around 1980 and 2002: +0.14k → +0.46k → +0.88k a year.
- Internet: 0% in 1990 → 77.7% in 2017 (+78 pp). Thresholds: above 10% since 2002, above 50% since 2016. Fastest growth in 2011–2016: 37.4% → 77.7%.
- Urban share: 12.1% in 1960 → 57.4% in 2025 (+45 pp). Threshold: above 50% since 2016. The trend broke around 1980 and 1988: +0.51 → +1.8 → +0.51 a year.
What changed at the same time
- The fastest decline of "Fertility (TFR)" was in 1977–1987: 3.15 → 1.72. Over the same years: births 0.3k → 0.23k; population 10.8k → 14.2k; urban share 20.3% → 34.3%; no data for the others in those years.
- Over the last 10 years (2013–2023): fertility (TFR) 1.09 → 1.05; births 0.3k → 0.33k; population 31.7k → 39k; internet 37.6% (2012); urban share 48.2% → 55.6%.
How the indicators relate
- Fertility (TFR) and internet: too few common years with data (8) to speak of a relationship.
- Fertility (TFR) and urban share (1960–2023, 64 years): levels are strongly related, in opposite directions (r = −0.96); year-to-year changes show no reliable link (r = −0.05). This looks like a shared trend: both change over time, but not in step from year to year.
Forecasts vs actual
- Fertility (TFR): past UN projections. The outcome was below the projection in 0 of 1 revisions (2022–2022) and above in 1; median gap +1.7%.
- The UN 2022 projection expected today's level (1.05, 2023) only around 2025: reality is 2 years ahead of it.
- Fertility (TFR): UN 2024 projection (medium): 2050 — 1.22 (+17% vs 2023), 2100 — 1.40 (+34% vs 2023); low variant for 2100: 0.90.
- Births: past UN projections. The outcome was below the projection in 0 of 1 revisions (2022–2022) and above in 1; median gap +35%.
- Births: UN 2024 projection (medium): 2050 — 0.26k (−19% vs 2023), 2100 — 0.2k (−38% vs 2023); low variant for 2100: 0.07k.
- Population: past UN projections. The outcome was below the projection in 0 of 12 revisions (1998–2022) and above in 12; median gap +26%.
- The UN 1998 projection expected today's level (39k, 2023) only around 2030: reality is 7 years ahead of it.
- The UN 2022 projection did not expect today's level (39k, 2023) before its horizon ended (2100).
- Population: UN 2024 projection (medium): 2050 — 40.3k (+3% vs 2023), 2100 — 27.9k (−28% vs 2023); low variant for 2100: 18.5k.
UN projections vs actual
Solid line: actual data, UN WPP 2024 estimates to 2023, then national statistics where comparable with the UN. Dashed: medium variants of past UN revisions. The table shows what each revision expected for the latest year (or five-year period) with actual data.
Population
persons, 1 July
- Actual
- UN 1998
- UN 2000
- UN 2002
- UN 2004
- UN 2006
- UN 2008
- UN 2010
- UN 2012
- UN 2015
- UN 2017
- UN 2019
- UN 2022
- UN 2024, medium
| Release | Target period | Horizon | Expected | Actual | Actual vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN 1998 | 2023 | 25 years | 35.4k | 39k | +10% |
| UN 2000 | 2023 | 23 years | 34.8k | 39k | +11.9% |
| UN 2002 | 2023 | 21 years | 28.2k | 39k | +38.3% |
| UN 2004 | 2023 | 19 years | 26.1k | 39k | +49.3% |
| UN 2006 | 2023 | 17 years | 26.1k | 39k | +49.3% |
| UN 2008 | 2023 | 15 years | 25.8k | 39k | +51% |
| UN 2010 | 2023 | 13 years | 26k | 39k | +50.2% |
| UN 2012 | 2023 | 11 years | 31k | 39k | +25.9% |
| UN 2015 | 2023 | 8 years | 33.6k | 39k | +15.9% |
| UN 2017 | 2023 | 6 years | 33.6k | 39k | +16% |
| UN 2019 | 2023 | 4 years | 30.8k | 39k | +26.6% |
| UN 2022 | 2023 | 1 year | 31.5k | 39k | +23.6% |
Births
births per year
- Actual
- UN 2022
- UN 2024, medium
| Release | Target period | Horizon | Expected | Actual | Actual vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN 2022 | 2023 | 1 year | 0.24k | 0.33k | +35.4% |
Total fertility rate
children per woman
- Actual
- UN 2022
- UN 2024, medium
| Release | Target period | Horizon | Expected | Actual | Actual vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UN 2022 | 2023 | 1 year | 1.03 | 1.05 | +1.7% |
All indicators
Demography
Births
0.33k births per year latest value, 2023
Live births per calendar year. UN WPP 2024 and national statistics (64 countries, 2015-2025).
Total fertility rate
1.05 children per woman latest value, 2023
Average number of children a woman would have at the age-specific fertility rates of the year.
Life expectancy at birth, women
80 years latest value, 2023
Years a newborn girl would live at the mortality rates of the year (UN).
Life expectancy at birth, men
74.5 years latest value, 2023
Years a newborn boy would live at the mortality rates of the year (UN).
Median age
37.5 years latest value, 2023
Age that divides the population in two halves (UN).
Mean age of mothers at childbirth
28.5 years latest value, 2023
Mean age of mothers at the birth of their children of any order (UN).
Sex ratio at birth
105.3 boys per 100 girls latest value, 2023
Boys born per 100 girls born (UN).
Net migration
0.59k persons per year latest value, 2023
Immigrants minus emigrants per year (UN estimate and projection).
Old-age dependency
12.1 persons 65+ per 100 aged 20-64 latest value, 2020
Persons aged 65+ per 100 aged 20-64, every five years (UN).
Digitalisation
Internet users
77.7 % of population latest value, 2017
Share of individuals who used the Internet in the last three months from any device. ITU data.
Mobile cellular subscriptions
93.1 per 100 people latest value, 2024
Active mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people; can exceed 100 when people have several SIM cards. ITU data.
Fixed broadband subscriptions
24.9 subscriptions per 100 people latest value, 2024
Fixed subscriptions to high-speed Internet (256 kbit/s or more) per 100 people. ITU data.
Society
Urban population
57.4 % of population latest value, 2025
Share of people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices (World Bank, from UN World Urbanization Prospects).
Tertiary enrolment, women
36.2 % gross latest value, 2024
Women enrolled in tertiary education as a share of women in the five-year age group after secondary school; can exceed 100 (UNESCO).
Women with upper secondary education
21.3 % of women 25+ latest value, 1991
Share of women aged 25+ who completed at least upper secondary education (UNESCO).
Life expectancy at birth
77.4 years latest value, 2024
Life expectancy at birth, both sexes (World Bank, from UN and national statistics).
Same region: Latin America and the Caribbean
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