Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iran is 54% bigger than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 1,075 m above Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 34% of Ethiopia, versus 29% of Iran
Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 47% more people than Iran
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 2.1 times as densely populated as Iran
Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 6.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 4.0 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 14 years older than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 2.2 more children on average than in Iran
Ethiopia: 3.91 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 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 12% more refugees per resident than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 7.5 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, Ethiopia 0.1
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ethiopia and Iran are practically level
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 2.9 times the size of Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 5.4 times as much per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Ethiopia (Gini 4.8 points higher)
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
39% of people in Ethiopia live on less than $3 a day, versus 2.5% in Iran
Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.5%
Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
Ethiopia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Iran’s
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 7.7 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 10 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 3.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 13 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 5.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ethiopia is 2.4 times that in Iran
Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Iran smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 1.17 points higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ethiopia drink 110 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 4.3 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 317 kcal more food per person per day than Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 647 more hours a year than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 8.4 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 18 more World Heritage sites than Ethiopia (30 against 12)
Ethiopia: 12 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Ethiopia 62
Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 13 times as long as Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 73% more passengers per resident than those from Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of Ethiopia, but only 6.6% of Iran
Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024) · Iran: 6.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 64 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 87% more fine dust than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Ethiopia: no data · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 21% deadlier than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia is on average 4.6 °C warmer than Iran
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 3.5 times as much rain as Iran
Ethiopia: 962 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 Ethiopia bigger than Iran?
Iran is larger. Iran is 54% bigger than Ethiopia.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Iran?
Ethiopia has 47% more people than Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Iran?
People in Iran live 10 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Iran?
Men in Iran are 6.8 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
