Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iran is 53% bigger than Colombia
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Colombia’s coastline is 31% longer than Iran’s
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 105 m above Iran’s
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of Colombia, versus 29% of Iran
Colombia: 36.5% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 73% more people than Colombia
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 18% more densely populated than Colombia
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 3.8 cm taller than in Colombia
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 3.2 cm taller than in Colombia
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 1.3 years older than in Colombia
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.1 more children on average than in Colombia
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 304 times as many refugees per resident as Colombia
Colombia: 0.027 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Colombia: 0.4 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Iran are practically level
Colombia: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Colombia’s economy is 26% larger than Iran’s
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 15% more per person than Iran
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Iran (Gini 18.5 points higher)
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
8.5% of people in Colombia live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.5% in Iran
Colombia: 8.5% (2024) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Iran and Colombia are practically level
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.2% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.1%
Colombia: 3.2% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Colombia: 15.2% (2024) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Colombia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Iran’s
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 2.4 times as much on health per person as Iran
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
Colombia and Iran are practically level
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Colombia is 2% more likely to die before turning one than in Iran
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 40% more doctors per person than Iran
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 9% more hospital beds per person than Colombia
Colombia: 1.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Colombia is 13% higher than in Iran
Colombia: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
Iran and Colombia are practically level
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Colombia rate their lives 0.89 points higher than in Iran
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Colombia drink 236 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 2.1 times as much meat per person as Iran
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 251 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 225 more hours a year than in Iran
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 1.8 years longer than in Colombia
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 21 more World Heritage sites than Colombia (30 against 9)
Colombia: 9 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Colombia 38
Colombia: 38 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 79% in Colombia
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Colombia: 246 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia and Iran are practically level
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 4.4 times as long as Colombia’s
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 4.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of Colombia, but only 6.6% of Iran
Colombia: 53.7% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 4.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in Colombia
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 10 times as likely to be murdered in Colombia as in Iran
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 8% deadlier than in Colombia
Colombia: 26.7 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia is on average 5.1 °C warmer than Iran
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 12 times as much rain as Iran
Colombia: 3,155 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 Colombia bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Iran is 53% bigger than Colombia.
Which has more people, Colombia or Iran?
Iran has 73% more people than Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Iran?
Colombia and Iran are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Colombia or Iran?
Men in Iran are 3.8 cm taller than in Colombia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
