Iran vs Pakistan
Iran is 87% larger than Pakistan. Pakistan would fit into Iran about 1.9 times.
IranPakistanIran moved onto Pakistan · Equal-area projection
1.87×
Iran is 1.87× the area of Pakistan.
 Iran |  Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIran: 1.87× the area | 1,648,195 km²#17 of 194 | 881,913 km²#33 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationPakistan: 2.76× the population | 92,417,681#17 of 194 · 2025 | 255,219,554#5 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityPakistan: 5.16× the density | 56 / km²#130 of 194 | 289 / km²#30 of 194 |
| Urban populationIran: 1.96× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility ratePakistan: 2.11× the births per woman | 1.68 per woman#119 of 192 · 2024 | 3.55 per woman#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthPakistan: 0.64 points higher | +0.92%#101 of 192 · 2025 | +1.56%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth ratePakistan: 2.17× the birth rate | 12.6 per 1,000#107 of 192 · 2024 | 27.4 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death ratePakistan: 1.33× the death rate | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 | 6.4 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Pakistan: 14.2 points higher | 22.0%#105 of 192 · 2025 | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iran: 4.2 points higher | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 | 4.4%#134 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIran: 6.1 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | −4.8 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIran: 4.89× the refugees for its size | 1.71 per 1,000#48 of 190 · 2025 | 0.35 per 1,000#84 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIran: 10.1 years longer | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 67.8 years#145 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityPakistan: 4.68× the infant mortality | 10.3 per 1,000 births#110 of 191 · 2024 | 48.2 per 1,000 births#14 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIran: 1.56× the doctors per person | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 | 1.16 per 1,000#102 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentIran: 5.39× the university enrolment | 58.7%#59 of 145 · 2022 | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexIran: 0.255 higher | 0.799#74 of 190 · 2023 | 0.544#165 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIran: 3.1× the income per person | $4,650#118 of 185 · 2025 | $1,500#158 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPPakistan: 1.12× the economy | $362.68B2025 | $407.31B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iran: 3.0× the output per person | $19,699#95 of 184 · 2025 | $6,573#142 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthPakistan: 6.5 points higher | −2.8%#185 of 187 · 2025 | +3.7%#81 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIran: 38.7 points higher | +42.2%#5 of 176 · 2025 | +3.5%#75 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIran: 1.54× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4%#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyPakistan: 9.2× the share in extreme poverty | 2.5%#67 of 149 · 2023 | 23.0%#31 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Iran: 2.4 higher | 35.9#65 of 149 · 2023 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agriculturePakistan: 22.6 points higher | 13.6% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 | 36.2% of jobs#45 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIran: 9.4 points higher | 34.7% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 25.3% of jobs#41 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIran: 13.2 points higher | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 38.5% of jobs#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentThe same | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIran: 15.8 points higher | 25.8% of GDP#112 of 168 · 2025 | 10.0% of GDP#162 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingPakistan: 1.39× the military spending | 2.1% of GDP#57 of 155 · 2025 | 2.9% of GDP#34 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIran: 1.49× the share online | 85%#77 of 184 · 2024 | 57%#139 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIran: 2.26× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 77 per 100#151 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIran: 1.61× the forest share | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 | 4% of land#168 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIran: 11.2× the CO₂ per person | 9.05 t a year#20 of 185 · 2024 | 0.81 t a year#135 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyPakistan: 40.7 points higher | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2021 | 41.6%#59 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIran: 4.3 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 95.7%#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Pakistan: 1.45× the air pollution | 40.2 µg/m³#23 of 191 · 2023 | 58.4 µg/m³#7 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPakistan: 11.3 points higher | 7.8% of land#154 of 191 · 2025 | 19.1% of land#86 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landPakistan: 30.1 points higher | 9.7% of land#103 of 190 · 2024 | 39.8% of land#14 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPakistan: 1.35× the water stress | 81.3%#22 of 176 · 2022 | 110.0%#16 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationPakistan: 2.17× the rain and snow | 228 mm#161 of 180 · 2022 | 494 mm#144 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIran: 0.26 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.95#185 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionPakistan: 0.07 higher | −1.14#164 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 4.3 per 100,000#54 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic republic | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Member of | BRICS, OPEC | — |
| Capital | Tehran | Islamabad |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) | Pakistani rupee (PKR) |
| Official languages | Persian | English, Urdu |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +98 | +92 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Southern Asia, Asia |
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; Pakistan at 30° N is stretched to 1.33×. 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 Pakistan?
- Yes. Iran is 87% larger than Pakistan. Iran covers 1,648,195 km² and Pakistan covers 881,913 km².
- How many times does Pakistan fit into Iran?
- About 1.9 times: Iran has 1.87× the area of Pakistan.
- Why do Iran and Pakistan 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 Pakistan about 1.33×. 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 Pakistan?
- Pakistan: 255,219,554 people against 92,417,681. Density: Iran 56 per km², Pakistan 289 per km².
- Which is richer, Iran or Pakistan?
- By gross national income per person, Iran: $4,650 against $1,500 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iran or Pakistan?
- In Iran: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 67.8 — 10.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iran and Pakistan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iran: theocracy; Pakistan: parliamentary republic.