Iran at its true size
Iran covers 1,648,195 km², number 17 of 194 countries by area. Home to 92,417,681 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 1,648,195 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 92,417,681 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 56 per km² |
| Capital | Tehran |
| Local time in Tehran | |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 IANA |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) Wikidata |
| Languages | Persian |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | BRICSOPEC |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +98 |
| Codes | IR · IRN · 364 |
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Where Iran ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#17 of 19492 million people#9 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#130 of 19456 people per km²#40 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#52 of 19277% urban#14 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#119 of 1921.68 births per woman#34 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#101 of 192+0.92% a year#25 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#107 of 19212.6 births per 1,000 people#29 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#176 of 1924.8 deaths per 1,000 people#35 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#105 of 19222.0% under 15#27 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#87 of 1928.6% aged 65 and over#17 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#44 of 192+1.3 per 1,000 people#12 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#48 of 1901.71 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#11 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#56 of 19277.9 years#16 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#110 of 19110.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#26 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#87 of 1781.81 doctors per 1,000 people#26 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#59 of 14558.7% gross enrolment#12 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#74 of 190an index of 0.799#18 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#118 of 185$4,650 a person#30 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#77 of 18485% online#23 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#95 of 184$19,699 a person#24 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#185 of 187−2.8% a year#44 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#5 of 176+42.2% a year#1 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#48 of 1788.3% of the labour force#11 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#67 of 1492.5% under $3.00 a day#13 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#65 of 149a Gini index of 35.9#9 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#99 of 17813.6% of jobs#29 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#6 of 17834.7% of jobs#5 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#110 of 17851.7% of jobs#24 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#144 of 1840.5% of GDP#32 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#112 of 16825.8% of GDP#26 of 42 in Asia
- Military spending#57 of 1552.1% of GDP#21 of 38 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#11 of 191174 subscriptions per 100 people#4 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#20 of 1859.05 tonnes a person#13 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#161 of 1927% forest#31 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#179 of 1900.9% renewable#40 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#23 of 19140.2 µg/m³#14 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#154 of 1917.8% of the land protected#32 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#103 of 1909.7% of the land arable#26 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#22 of 17681.3% of its available fresh water#16 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#161 of 180228 mm a year#36 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Iran’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Iran fit into…
- Russia: about 10 times
- Canada: about 6.1 times
- United States: about 6.0 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Iran shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Helmand1,150 km
Summits
- Damavand5,628 m
- Kūh-e Hezār4,500 m
- Dena4,409 m
- Zard Kuh4,221 m
- Mount Taftan3,941 m
Lakes
- Lake Urmia5,200 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Iran. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Iran
- How big is Iran?
- Iran covers 1,648,195 km², which makes it number 17 of 194 countries by area. About 92,417,681 people live there (2025), 56 per km².
- Is Iran bigger than Mongolia?
- Iran is 5% larger than Mongolia. Iran: 1,648,195 km²; Mongolia: 1,564,116 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Iran?
- Iran lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Iran?
- Iran shares a land border with Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia.