Iran vs Russia
Russia is 10.4 times larger than Iran. Iran would fit into Russia about 10 times.
IranRussiaIran moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.1×
Iran is 0.1× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 10.4× the size of Iran.
 Iran |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 10.4× the area | 1,648,195 km²#17 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 1.55× the population | 92,417,681#17 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIran: 6.67× the density | 56 / km²#130 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIran: 1.18× the births per woman | 1.68 per woman#119 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIran: 1.03 points higher | +0.92%#101 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIran: 1.5× the birth rate | 12.6 per 1,000#107 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 2.58× the death rate | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iran: 5.0 points higher | 22.0%#105 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 9.2 points higher | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIran: 3.1 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIran: 2.48× the refugees for its size | 1.71 per 1,000#48 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIran: 4.5 years longer | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIran: 2.51× the infant mortality | 10.3 per 1,000 births#110 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 2.82× the doctors per person | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 58.7%#59 of 145 · 2022 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.033 higher | 0.799#74 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 3.43× the income per person | $4,650#118 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 7.06× the economy | $362.68B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 2.52× the output per person | $19,699#95 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthRussia: 3.8 points higher | −2.8%#185 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIran: 33.5 points higher | +42.2%#5 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIran: 3.95× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyIran: 25× the share in extreme poverty | 2.5%#67 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Iran: 2.9 higher | 35.9#65 of 149 · 2023 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureIran: 8.5 points higher | 13.6% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIran: 8.9 points higher | 34.7% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 17.4 points higher | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIran: 0.1 points higher | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIran: 7.6 points higher | 25.8% of GDP#112 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 3.59× the military spending | 2.1% of GDP#57 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.11× the share online | 85%#77 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 7.7× the forest share | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 1.54× the CO₂ per person | 9.05 t a year#20 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyRussia: 2.6 points higher | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iran: 3.47× the air pollution | 40.2 µg/m³#23 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRussia: 3.7 points higher | 7.8% of land#154 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIran: 2.3 points higher | 9.7% of land#103 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIran: 19.8× the water stress | 81.3%#22 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationRussia: 2.02× the rain and snow | 228 mm#161 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityRussia: 0.75 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRussia: 0.16 higher | −1.14#164 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | BRICS, OPEC | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Tehran | Moscow |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Persian | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +98 | +7 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Iran. 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 Russia?
- No. Iran is 10.4 times smaller than Russia. Iran covers 1,648,195 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Iran fit into Russia?
- About 10 times: Russia has 10.4× the area of Iran.
- Why do Iran and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Iran. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iran or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 92,417,681. Density: Iran 56 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Iran or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $4,650 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.43× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iran or Russia?
- In Iran: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 73.4 — 4.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iran and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iran: theocracy; Russia: semi-presidential republic.