Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Iran 25 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Ireland: 70,280 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 69% longer than Ireland’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 4,584 m above Ireland’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Ireland, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Ireland: 65.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 17 times as many people as Ireland
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ireland is 40% more densely populated than Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 3.4 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Ireland: 179 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 3.3 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 5.5 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.2 more children on average than in Ireland
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ireland hosts 3 times as many refugees per resident as Iran
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Ireland: 25.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Ireland: 9.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 2 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 7.9 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Ireland (Gini 6.9 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Ireland: 29 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Ireland
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Ireland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.6% in Ireland
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Ireland: 0.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Ireland: 17.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 4.3× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 28 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 5.2 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Ireland: 83 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ireland
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Ireland has 60% more hospital beds per person than Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Ireland: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ireland is 20% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 7.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 1.78 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 497 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 3.3 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 1,046 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 592 more hours a year than in Ireland
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 0.88 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 28 more World Heritage sites than Ireland (30 against 2)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Ireland 42
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Ireland: 42 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Ireland: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Ireland: 300 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Ireland are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland
Iran: 77% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113
Iran: 174 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 5.7 times as long as Ireland’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 180 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 12% of Ireland, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Ireland: 12% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 37% more CO₂ than someone in Ireland
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 5.1 times as much fine dust as in Ireland
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.6 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in Ireland
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 5.6 times as deadly as in Ireland
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 5.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 9.0 °C warmer than Ireland
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 4.2 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Ireland?
Iran is larger. Ireland fits inside Iran 25 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Ireland?
Iran has 17 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Ireland?
People in Ireland live 5.2 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 83.0 in Ireland.
Are people taller in Iran or Ireland?
Men in Ireland are 3.4 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
