Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ecuador fits inside Iran 6.8 times
Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 9% longer than Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 642 m above Iran’s
Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Iran, versus 20% of Ecuador
Ecuador: 20.3% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 5.1 times as many people as Ecuador
Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ecuador is 29% more densely populated than Iran
Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 8.3 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 5.9 cm taller than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 4.5 years older than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ecuador have 0.1 more children on average than in Iran
Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Ecuador and Iran are practically level
Ecuador: 8.6% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 5.8 times as many refugees per resident as Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.4 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, Ecuador none
Ecuador: 0 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ecuador and Iran are practically level
Ecuador: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Ecuador’s
Ecuador: $130 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 18% more per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in Iran (Gini 10 points higher)
Ecuador: 45.9 (2025) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
3.4% of people in Ecuador live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.5% in Iran
Ecuador: 3.4% (2025) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 3.3% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Ecuador and Iran are practically level
Ecuador: 2.1% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ecuador: 13.1% (2022) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Ecuador’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Iran’s
Ecuador: 43% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ecuador spends 91% more on health per person than Iran
Ecuador: $509 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
Iran and Ecuador are practically level
Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ecuador is 6% more likely to die before turning one than in Iran
Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ecuador has 28% more doctors per person than Iran
Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 40% more hospital beds per person than Ecuador
Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 9% higher than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Ecuador are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Ecuador: 28.7% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 10.1% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ecuador rate their lives 0.99 points higher than in Iran
Ecuador: 6.14 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ecuador drink 156 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ecuador has 88% more meat per person than Iran
Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 254 kcal more food per person per day than Ecuador
Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 652 more hours a year than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 1.9 years longer than in Ecuador
Ecuador: 9 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 25 more World Heritage sites than Ecuador (30 against 5)
Ecuador: 5 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Ecuador 10
Ecuador: 10 (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 Ecuador
Ecuador: 77% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 99% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 98.5% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 63% in Ecuador
Ecuador: 63% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ecuador 102
Ecuador: 102 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as Ecuador’s
Ecuador: 965 km (2022) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ecuador fly 28% more passengers per resident than those from Iran
Ecuador: 0.25 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 50% of Ecuador, but only 6.6% of Iran
Ecuador: 49.7% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 3.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ecuador
Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
79% of Ecuador’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Ecuador: 79.4% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Ecuador
Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19 times as likely to be murdered in Ecuador as in Iran
Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 7% deadlier than in Iran
Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ecuador is on average 2.0 °C warmer than Iran
Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 12 times as much rain as Iran
Ecuador: 3,204 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 Ecuador bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Ecuador fits inside Iran 6.8 times.
Which has more people, Ecuador or Iran?
Iran has 5.1 times as many people as Ecuador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ecuador or Iran?
Iran and Ecuador are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 77.6 years in Ecuador and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Ecuador or Iran?
Men in Iran are 8.3 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
