Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
India is 88% bigger than Iran
India: 3,287,260 km² (2024) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as Iran’s
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 2,961 m above Iran’s
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of India, versus 29% of Iran
India: 59.9% (2024) · Iran: 29% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 16 times as many people as Iran
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 8.6 times as densely populated as Iran
India: 492 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 9.1 cm taller than in India
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 6.0 cm taller than in India
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 4.8 years older than in India
India: 28.1 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.3 more children on average than in Iran
India: 1.96 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 7.4% in India
India: 7.4% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 51 times as many refugees per resident as India
India: 0.2 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, India 0.1
India: 0.1 (2026) · Iran: 0.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, Iran 1
India: 3 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 11 times the size of Iran’s
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 68% more per person than India
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in India (Gini 12.9 points higher)
India: 23 (2023) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
India and Iran are practically level
India: 2.6% (2023) · Iran: 2.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.2% in India
India: 4.2% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
India and Iran are practically level
India: 2.3% (2025) · Iran: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
India: 6.9% (2022) · Iran: no data
How expensive is it?
India’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Iran’s
India: 23% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 3.2 times as much on health per person as India
India: $85 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 5.6 years longer than in India
India: 72.2 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as India
India: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 16% more hospital beds per person than India
India: 1.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in India is 2.6 times that in Iran
India: 15.3 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 8.0% in India
India: 8% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 12% in Iran
India: 22.6% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.62 points higher than in India
India: 4.54 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in India drink 253 times as much alcohol as in Iran
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 3.7 times as much meat per person as India
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 207 kcal more food per person per day than India
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in India put in 137 more hours a year than in Iran
India: 2,383 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 4 years longer than in India
India: 6.9 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
India: 0.01 (2024) · Iran: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
India has 15 more World Heritage sites than Iran (45 against 30)
India: 45 (2026) · Iran: 30 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, India 41
India: 41 (2026 edition) · Iran: 88 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 70% in India
India: 70% (2025) · Iran: 85% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
India: 91 Mbps (2026) · Iran: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and India are practically level
India: 99.9% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 36% in India
India: 36% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79
India: 79 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 7.2 times as long as Iran’s
India: 68,103 km (2021) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 59% more passengers per resident than those from India
India: 0.12 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of India, but only 6.6% of Iran
India: 24.4% (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 India
India: 2.2 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of India’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
India: 24.1% (2025) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in India carries 17% more fine dust than in Iran
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19% more likely to be murdered in India than in Iran
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 14% deadlier than in India
India: 25.4 per 100k (2023) · Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
India is on average 5.2 °C warmer than Iran
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 4.7 times as much rain as Iran
India: 1,268 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 India bigger than Iran?
India is larger. India is 88% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, India or Iran?
India has 16 times as many people as Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or Iran?
People in Iran live 5.6 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in India or Iran?
Men in Iran are 9.1 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
