Iran vs Mexico
Mexico is 20% larger than Iran.
IranMexicoIran moved onto Mexico · Equal-area projection
0.84×
Iran is 0.84× the area of Mexico. Put the other way, Mexico is 1.2× the size of Iran.
 Iran |  Mexico | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMexico: 1.2× the area | 1,648,195 km²#17 of 194 | 1,972,550 km²#13 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMexico: 1.43× the population | 92,417,681#17 of 194 · 2025 | 131,946,900#11 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMexico: 1.19× the density | 56 / km²#130 of 194 | 67 / km²#120 of 194 |
| Urban populationMexico: 1.03× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMexico: 1.13× the births per woman | 1.68 per woman#119 of 192 · 2024 | 1.89 per woman#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIran: 0.09 points higher | +0.92%#101 of 192 · 2025 | +0.83%#107 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMexico: 1.23× the birth rate | 12.6 per 1,000#107 of 192 · 2024 | 15.5 per 1,000#99 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMexico: 1.29× the death rate | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mexico: 2.1 points higher | 22.0%#105 of 192 · 2025 | 24.1%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iran: 0.1 points higher | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 | 8.5%#90 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIran: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | −0.8 per 1,000#113 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIran: 5.52× the refugees for its size | 1.71 per 1,000#48 of 190 · 2025 | 0.31 per 1,000#86 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIran: 2.6 years longer | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 75.3 years#84 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMexico: 1.17× the infant mortality | 10.3 per 1,000 births#110 of 191 · 2024 | 12.1 per 1,000 births#99 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMexico: 1.43× the doctors per person | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 | 2.59 per 1,000#72 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentIran: 1.22× the university enrolment | 58.7%#59 of 145 · 2022 | 48.2%#78 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexIran: 0.010 higher | 0.799#74 of 190 · 2023 | 0.789#80 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMexico: 2.95× the income per person | $4,650#118 of 185 · 2025 | $13,730#69 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMexico: 5.05× the economy | $362.68B2025 | $1.83T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Mexico: 1.31× the output per person | $19,699#95 of 184 · 2025 | $25,868#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMexico: 3.4 points higher | −2.8%#185 of 187 · 2025 | +0.6%#164 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIran: 38.4 points higher | +42.2%#5 of 176 · 2025 | +3.8%#65 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIran: 3.07× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 2.7%#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyIran: 1.56× the share in extreme poverty | 2.5%#67 of 149 · 2023 | 1.6%#77 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Mexico: 6.7 higher | 35.9#65 of 149 · 2023 | 42.6#26 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureIran: 2.2 points higher | 13.6% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 | 11.4% of jobs#104 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIran: 10.2 points higher | 34.7% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 24.5% of jobs#48 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMexico: 12.4 points higher | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 64.1% of jobs#75 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMexico: 1.9 points higher | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMexico: 13.8 points higher | 25.8% of GDP#112 of 168 · 2025 | 39.6% of GDP#75 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingIran: 2.82× the military spending | 2.1% of GDP#57 of 155 · 2025 | 0.7% of GDP#132 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 85%#77 of 184 · 2024 | 83%#85 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIran: 1.5× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 116 per 100#93 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMexico: 5.18× the forest share | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#89 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIran: 2.49× the CO₂ per person | 9.05 t a year#20 of 185 · 2024 | 3.64 t a year#71 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMexico: 12.1 points higher | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2021 | 13.0%#126 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIran: 0.2 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 99.8%#103 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iran: 2.42× the air pollution | 40.2 µg/m³#23 of 191 · 2023 | 16.6 µg/m³#104 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMexico: 7.5 points higher | 7.8% of land#154 of 191 · 2025 | 15.3% of land#115 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMexico: 0.6 points higher | 9.7% of land#103 of 190 · 2024 | 10.3% of land#99 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIran: 1.81× the water stress | 81.3%#22 of 176 · 2022 | 44.9%#41 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMexico: 3.32× the rain and snow | 228 mm#161 of 180 · 2022 | 758 mm#109 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMexico: 1.08 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −0.61#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMexico: 0.20 higher | −1.14#164 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#149 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 24.9 per 100,000#13 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic republic | Presidential republicfederal presidential republic |
| Member of | BRICS, OPEC | OECD, G20 |
| Capital | Tehran | Mexico City |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) | Mexican peso (MXN) |
| Official languages | Persian | Spanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 | UTC−6 · UTC−8 to UTC−5, 4 time zones |
| Calling code | +98 | +52 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Central America, North America |
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; Mexico at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. 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 Mexico?
- No. Iran is 16% smaller than Mexico. Iran covers 1,648,195 km² and Mexico covers 1,972,550 km².
- How many times does Iran fit into Mexico?
- About 1.2 times: Mexico has 1.2× the area of Iran.
- Why do Iran and Mexico 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 Mexico about 1.2×. 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 Mexico?
- Mexico: 131,946,900 people against 92,417,681. Density: Iran 56 per km², Mexico 67 per km².
- Which is richer, Iran or Mexico?
- By gross national income per person, Mexico: $13,730 against $4,650 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.95× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iran or Mexico?
- In Iran: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 75.3 — 2.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iran and Mexico have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iran: theocracy; Mexico: presidential republic.