Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Azerbaijan fits inside Iran 20 times
Azerbaijan: 86,600 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Azerbaijan: 0 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 1,159 m above Azerbaijan’s
Azerbaijan: 4,466 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 58% of Azerbaijan, versus 29% of Iran
Azerbaijan: 57.8% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 9 times as many people as Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 10.2 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Azerbaijan is 2.2 times as densely populated as Iran
Azerbaijan: 124 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 1.6 cm taller than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 174 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Azerbaijan and Iran are practically level
Azerbaijan: 161.4 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 0.27 years older than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 32.6 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.3 more children on average than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.2% of people in Azerbaijan are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Azerbaijan: 9.2% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 13 times as many refugees per resident as Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 0.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Azerbaijan has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Azerbaijan: 1 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Azerbaijan has 2 official languages, Iran 1
Azerbaijan: 2 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 4.8 times the size of Azerbaijan’s
Azerbaijan: $75.9 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Azerbaijan produces 33% more per person than Iran
Azerbaijan: Int$26,113 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Azerbaijan: no data · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Azerbaijan: no data · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 5.5% in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 5.5% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Azerbaijan spends 6.5% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.1%
Azerbaijan: 6.5% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Azerbaijan: 17.3% (2024) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Azerbaijan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Iran’s
Azerbaijan: 28% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Azerbaijan spends 12% more on health per person than Iran
Azerbaijan: $300 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 3.3 years longer than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 74.6 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Azerbaijan is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Iran
Azerbaijan: 12.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Azerbaijan has 76% more doctors per person than Iran
Azerbaijan: 3.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Azerbaijan has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Azerbaijan: 3.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 2 times that in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 3 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Azerbaijan are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Azerbaijan: 29.3% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in Azerbaijan smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Azerbaijan: 18.7% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.16 points higher than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 4.99 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Azerbaijan drink 109 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Azerbaijan: 2.3 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Azerbaijan has 32% more meat per person than Iran
Azerbaijan: 39.4 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Azerbaijan has 464 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Azerbaijan: 3,339 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 455 more hours a year than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 1,791 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Azerbaijan went to school 0.22 years longer than in Iran
Azerbaijan: 11.1 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Azerbaijan: 0.15 (2022) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 25 more World Heritage sites than Azerbaijan (30 against 5)
Azerbaijan: 5 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Azerbaijan 56
Azerbaijan: 56 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Azerbaijan are online, versus 85% in Iran
Azerbaijan: 91% (2025) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Azerbaijan: 203 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Azerbaijan and Iran are practically level
Azerbaijan: 100% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 59% in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 59% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Azerbaijan 110
Azerbaijan: 110 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 4.4 times as long as Azerbaijan’s
Azerbaijan: 2,139 km (2021) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Azerbaijan fly 29% more passengers per resident than those from Iran
Azerbaijan: 0.25 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 15% of Azerbaijan, but only 6.6% of Iran
Azerbaijan: 14.6% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 3.9 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
12% of Azerbaijan’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Azerbaijan: 12.1% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 59% more fine dust than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 23.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19% more likely to be murdered in Iran than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 2 per 100k (2024) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 30% deadlier than in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 22.3 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 6.3 °C warmer than Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan: 13°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Azerbaijan gets 2.1 times as much rain as Iran
Azerbaijan: 560 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 Azerbaijan bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Azerbaijan fits inside Iran 20 times.
Which has more people, Azerbaijan or Iran?
Iran has 9 times as many people as Azerbaijan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Azerbaijan or Iran?
People in Iran live 3.3 years longer than in Azerbaijan. Life expectancy at birth is 74.6 years in Azerbaijan and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Azerbaijan or Iran?
Men in Iran are 1.6 cm taller than in Azerbaijan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
