Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ecuador fits inside Iran 6.8 times.
Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2023) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2023)
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)
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 Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador 0.0.
Ecuador: 0 (2025) · Iran: 0.3 (2025)
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 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: 2.2% (2024) · Iran: 2% (2024)
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 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)
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)
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: 49.5% (2023) · Iran: 6.6% (2023)
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 14% deadlier than in Iran.
Ecuador: 23.4 per 100k (2021) · Iran: 20.6 per 100k (2021)
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)
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).
