Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh fits inside Iran 12 times
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 4.2 times as long as Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 4,565 m above Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 72% of Bangladesh, versus 29% of Iran
Bangladesh: 72.2% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bangladesh has 90% more people than Iran
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 24 times as densely populated as Iran
Bangladesh: 1,350 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 10.5 cm taller than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 8.8 cm taller than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 7.5 years older than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bangladesh have 0.5 more children on average than in Iran
Bangladesh: 2.14 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 6.7% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 6.7% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 24% more refugees per resident than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 6.7 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Bangladesh 0.1
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Bangladesh and Iran are practically level
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Bangladesh’s economy is 26% larger than Iran’s
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 94% more per person than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Bangladesh (Gini 5 points higher)
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
5.9% of people in Bangladesh live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.5% in Iran
Bangladesh: 5.9% (2022) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.8% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Bangladesh 0.8%
Bangladesh: 0.8% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Bangladesh: 7.6% (2021) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Bangladesh’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Iran’s
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 5 times as much on health per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 2.9 years longer than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bangladesh is 2.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 2 times as many hospital beds per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 33% higher than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 4.5 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 5.7% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.83 points higher than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Iran drink 7.1 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 6.7 times as much meat per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 288 kcal more food per person per day than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 137 more hours a year than in Iran
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 4.1 years longer than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Bangladesh: 0.002 (2019) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 27 more World Heritage sites than Bangladesh (30 against 3)
Bangladesh: 3 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Bangladesh none
Bangladesh: 0 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 53% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Bangladesh: 86 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 100% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bangladesh 108
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 3.3 times as long as Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 5.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 14% of Bangladesh, but only 6.6% of Iran
Bangladesh: 14.4% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
3.8% of Iran’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 72% more fine dust than in Iran
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 1% more likely to be murdered in Iran than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bangladesh are 19% deadlier than in Iran
Bangladesh: 34.5 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bangladesh is on average 6.5 °C warmer than Iran
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bangladesh gets 7.7 times as much rain as Iran
Bangladesh: 2,096 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 Bangladesh bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Bangladesh fits inside Iran 12 times.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or Iran?
Bangladesh has 90% more people than Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or Iran?
People in Iran live 2.9 years longer than in Bangladesh. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or Iran?
Men in Iran are 10.5 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
