Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iran is 74% bigger than Egypt
Egypt: 1,001,450 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Egypt and Iran are nearly identical here
Egypt: 2,450 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 2,996 m above Egypt’s
Egypt: 2,629 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Iran, versus 4.2% of Egypt
Egypt: 4.2% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Egypt has 28% more people than Iran
Egypt: 118 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Egypt is 2.1 times as densely populated as Iran
Egypt: 119 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 1.1 cm taller than in Egypt
Egypt: 174.6 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Iran and Egypt are practically level
Egypt: 160.9 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 8.8 years older than in Egypt
Egypt: 24 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Egypt have 1.1 more children on average than in Iran
Egypt: 2.74 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 5.3% in Egypt
Egypt: 5.3% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 4.5 times as many refugees per resident as Egypt
Egypt: 1.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Egypt has produced 0.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Egypt: 0.5 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Egypt and Iran are practically level
Egypt: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Egypt and Iran are nearly identical here
Egypt: $365 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Egypt produces 3% more per person than Iran
Egypt: Int$20,204 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Egypt (Gini 7.4 points higher)
Egypt: 28.5 (2021) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.4% in Egypt
Egypt: 1.4% (2021) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 6.8% in Egypt
Egypt: 6.8% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Egypt 0.6%
Egypt: 0.6% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Egypt: 12.5% (2015) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Iran’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Egypt’s
Egypt: 15% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 89% more on health per person than Egypt
Egypt: $141 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 6 years longer than in Egypt
Egypt: 71.8 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Egypt is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Egypt: 20.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 2.7 times as many doctors per person as Egypt
Egypt: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 75% more hospital beds per person than Egypt
Egypt: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 7.5 times that in Egypt
Egypt: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
43% of adults in Egypt are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Egypt: 42.8% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
25% of adults in Egypt smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Egypt: 25% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 1.29 points higher than in Egypt
Egypt: 3.86 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Egypt drink 5 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Egypt: 0.1 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 8% more meat per person than Egypt
Egypt: 27.6 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Egypt has 219 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Egypt: 3,094 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Egypt put in 122 more hours a year than in Iran
Egypt: 2,369 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 0.71 years longer than in Egypt
Egypt: 10.1 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Egypt: 0.1 (2022) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 23 more World Heritage sites than Egypt (30 against 7)
Egypt: 7 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Egypt 41
Egypt: 41 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 75% in Egypt
Egypt: 75% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Egypt: 80 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Egypt and Iran are practically level
Egypt: 100% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 43% in Egypt
Egypt: 43% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Egypt 97
Egypt: 97 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 83% longer than Egypt’s
Egypt: 5,153 km (2016) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 39% more passengers per resident than those from Egypt
Egypt: 0.14 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 6.6% of Iran, but only 0.0% of Egypt
Egypt: 0% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Egypt
Egypt: 2.2 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
13% of Egypt’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Egypt: 13% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Egypt carries 10% more fine dust than in Iran
Egypt: 41.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 81% more likely to be murdered in Iran than in Egypt
Egypt: 1.3 per 100k (2017) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 2.3 times as deadly as in Egypt
Egypt: 12.4 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Egypt is on average 4.3 °C warmer than Iran
Egypt: 23.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iran gets 22 times as much rain as Egypt
Egypt: 12 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 Egypt bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Iran is 74% bigger than Egypt.
Which has more people, Egypt or Iran?
Egypt has 28% more people than Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Egypt or Iran?
People in Iran live 6 years longer than in Egypt. Life expectancy at birth is 71.8 years in Egypt and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Egypt or Iran?
Men in Iran are 1.1 cm taller than in Egypt (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
