Iran vs Libya
Libya is 7% larger than Iran.
IranLibyaIran moved onto Libya · Equal-area projection
0.94×
Iran is 0.94× the area of Libya. Put the other way, Libya is 1.07× the size of Iran.
 Iran |  Libya | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLibya: 1.07× the area | 1,648,195 km²#17 of 194 | 1,759,541 km²#16 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIran: 12.4× the population | 92,417,681#17 of 194 · 2025 | 7,458,555#105 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIran: 13.2× the density | 56 / km²#130 of 194 | 4.2 / km²#187 of 194 |
| Urban populationLibya: 1.14× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 88%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLibya: 1.37× the births per woman | 1.68 per woman#119 of 192 · 2024 | 2.30 per woman#80 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLibya: 0.12 points higher | +0.92%#101 of 192 · 2025 | +1.04%#94 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLibya: 1.31× the birth rate | 12.6 per 1,000#107 of 192 · 2024 | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLibya: 1.35× the death rate | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 | 6.5 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Libya: 4.8 points higher | 22.0%#105 of 192 · 2025 | 26.8%#83 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iran: 3.4 points higher | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 | 5.2%#120 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIran: 1.3 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadLibya: 1.35× the refugees for its size | 1.71 per 1,000#48 of 190 · 2025 | 2.30 per 1,000#39 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIran: 6.8 years longer | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 71.1 years#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIran: 1.3× the infant mortality | 10.3 per 1,000 births#110 of 191 · 2024 | 7.9 per 1,000 births#124 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 | — |
| University enrolment | 58.7%#59 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexIran: 0.078 higher | 0.799#74 of 190 · 2023 | 0.721#114 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLibya: 1.56× the income per person | $4,650#118 of 185 · 2025 | $7,250#95 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIran: 7.54× the economy | $362.68B2025 | $48.1B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iran: 1.19× the output per person | $19,699#95 of 184 · 2025 | $16,521#104 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLibya: 16.2 points higher | −2.8%#185 of 187 · 2025 | +13.4%#2 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIran: 40.4 points higher | +42.2%#5 of 176 · 2025 | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLibya: 2.27× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 18.8%#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 2.5%#67 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 35.9#65 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureIran: 3.6 points higher | 13.6% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 | 10.0% of jobs#109 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIran: 16.1 points higher | 34.7% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 18.6% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLibya: 19.7 points higher | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 71.4% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLibya: 1.2 points higher | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | 1.7% of GDP#105 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLibya: 45.9 points higher | 25.8% of GDP#112 of 168 · 2025 | 71.7% of GDP#21 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLibya: 1.71× the military spending | 2.1% of GDP#57 of 155 · 2025 | 3.6% of GDP#17 of 155 · 2023 |
| Internet usersIran: 1.04× the share online | 85%#77 of 184 · 2024 | 82%#91 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLibya: 1.11× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 193 per 100#4 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIran: 66.0× the forest share | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 | 0% of land#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIran: 1.05× the CO₂ per person | 9.05 t a year#20 of 185 · 2024 | 8.66 t a year#21 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLibya: 2.2 points higher | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2021 | 3.1%#163 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIran: 22.6 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 77.4%#150 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iran: 2.01× the air pollution | 40.2 µg/m³#23 of 191 · 2023 | 20.0 µg/m³#84 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIran: 7.7 points higher | 7.8% of land#154 of 191 · 2025 | 0.1% of land#187 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIran: 8.7 points higher | 9.7% of land#103 of 190 · 2024 | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLibya: 10.1× the water stress | 81.3%#22 of 176 · 2022 | 817.1%#4 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIran: 4.07× the rain and snow | 228 mm#161 of 180 · 2022 | 56 mm#179 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIran: 0.15 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.84#182 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIran: 0.39 higher | −1.14#164 of 193 · 2025 | −1.53#183 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic republic | Military or transitionalin transition |
| Member of | BRICS, OPEC | OPEC |
| Capital | Tehran | Tripoli |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) | Libyan dinar (LYD) |
| Official languages | Persian | Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +98 | +218 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Northern Africa, Africa |
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. Iran sits at about 33° N and is stretched to 1.41× its true area; Libya at 27° N is stretched to 1.26×. 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 Iran bigger than Libya?
- No. Iran is 6% smaller than Libya. Iran covers 1,648,195 km² and Libya covers 1,759,541 km².
- How many times does Iran fit into Libya?
- About 1.1 times: Libya has 1.07× the area of Iran.
- Why do Iran and Libya look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iran is drawn about 1.41× its true area there and Libya about 1.26×. 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, Iran or Libya?
- Iran: 92,417,681 people against 7,458,555. Density: Iran 56 per km², Libya 4.2 per km².
- Which is richer, Iran or Libya?
- By gross national income per person, Libya: $7,250 against $4,650 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.56× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iran or Libya?
- In Iran: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 71.1 — 6.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iran and Libya have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iran: theocracy; Libya: military or transitional.