Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Algeria is 36% bigger than Iran
Algeria: 2,381,740 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 2.4 times as long as Algeria’s
Algeria: 998 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 2,717 m above Algeria’s
Algeria: 2,908 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Iran, versus 17% of Algeria
Algeria: 17.3% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 95% more people than Algeria
Algeria: 47.4 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 2.9 times as densely populated as Algeria
Algeria: 20 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Iran and Algeria are practically level
Algeria: 175 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Algeria are 1.2 cm taller than in Iran
Algeria: 162.4 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 4.7 years older than in Algeria
Algeria: 28.2 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Algeria have 1.0 more children on average than in Iran
Algeria: 2.72 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 6.8% in Algeria
Algeria: 6.8% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 2.2 times as many refugees per resident as Algeria
Algeria: 3.8 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Algeria has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Algeria: 0.4 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Algeria and Iran are practically level
Algeria: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 26% larger than Algeria’s
Algeria: $287 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 6% more per person than Algeria
Algeria: Int$18,586 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Algeria: no data · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Algeria: no data · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in Algeria, versus 8.3% in Iran
Algeria: 11.6% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Algeria spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.1%
Algeria: 8.8% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Algeria’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Iran’s
Algeria: 33% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 14% more on health per person than Algeria
Algeria: $233 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 1.4 years longer than in Algeria
Algeria: 76.5 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Algeria is 89% more likely to die before turning one than in Iran
Algeria: 19.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 9% more doctors per person than Algeria
Algeria: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 15% more hospital beds per person than Algeria
Algeria: 1.6 per 1,000 (2017) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 88% higher than in Algeria
Algeria: 3.2 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 24% in Algeria
Algeria: 24.3% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Algeria smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Algeria: 22.4% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Algeria rate their lives 0.56 points higher than in Iran
Algeria: 5.71 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Algeria drink 20 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Algeria: 0.4 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 34% more meat per person than Algeria
Algeria: 22.3 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Algeria has 521 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Algeria: 3,396 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 14 more hours a year than in Algeria
Algeria: 2,232 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 3.4 years longer than in Algeria
Algeria: 7.4 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 23 more World Heritage sites than Algeria (30 against 7)
Algeria: 7 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Algeria 20
Algeria: 20 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 77% in Algeria
Algeria: 77% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Algeria: 165 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Algeria and Iran are practically level
Algeria: 100% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 76% in Algeria
Algeria: 76% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Algeria 115
Algeria: 115 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 2.4 times as long as Algeria’s
Algeria: 4,001 km (2021) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 30% more passengers per resident than those from Algeria
Algeria: 0.15 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 6.6% of Iran, but only 0.7% of Algeria
Algeria: 0.7% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Algeria
Algeria: 4.2 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
3.8% of Iran’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.1% in Algeria
Algeria: 1.1% (2024) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Algeria
Algeria: 14.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in Algeria
Algeria: 1.2 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 30% deadlier than in Algeria
Algeria: 22.3 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Algeria is on average 5.4 °C warmer than Iran
Algeria: 24.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iran gets 4.7 times as much rain as Algeria
Algeria: 58 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Algeria bigger than Iran?
Algeria is larger. Algeria is 36% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, Algeria or Iran?
Iran has 95% more people than Algeria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Algeria or Iran?
People in Iran live 1.4 years longer than in Algeria. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Algeria and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Algeria or Iran?
Iran and Algeria are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
