Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kazakhstan is 56% bigger than Iran
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Kazakhstan: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kazakhstan’s highest peak towers 1,385 m above Iran’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Kazakhstan: 7,010 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of Kazakhstan, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 79.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 4.4 times as many people as Kazakhstan
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Kazakhstan: 20.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 7.4 times as densely populated as Kazakhstan
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Kazakhstan: 8 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Iran and Kazakhstan are practically level
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Kazakhstan: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Kazakhstan and Iran are practically level
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Kazakhstan: 161.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 3.4 years older than in Kazakhstan
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Kazakhstan: 29.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kazakhstan have 1.3 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Kazakhstan: 2.98 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Kazakhstan and Iran are practically level
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 40 times as many refugees per resident as Kazakhstan
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Kazakhstan: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kazakhstan none
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Kazakhstan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kazakhstan has 2 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · Kazakhstan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 18% larger than Kazakhstan’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Kazakhstan: $306 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Kazakhstan produces 2.2 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Kazakhstan: Int$44,294 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Kazakhstan (Gini 6.7 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Kazakhstan: 29.2 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Kazakhstan
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Kazakhstan: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.8% in Kazakhstan
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 4.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Kazakhstan 0.4%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 0.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Kazakhstan: 11.9% (2023)
How expensive is it?
Kazakhstan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 33% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kazakhstan spends 83% more on health per person than Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Kazakhstan: $490 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 3.3 years longer than in Kazakhstan
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Kazakhstan: 74.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 39% more likely to die before turning one than in Kazakhstan
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Kazakhstan: 7.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kazakhstan has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Kazakhstan: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kazakhstan has 3.5 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Kazakhstan: 6.5 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kazakhstan is 3 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Kazakhstan: 18.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 22% in Kazakhstan
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 22.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Kazakhstan smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kazakhstan rate their lives 1.48 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Kazakhstan: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kazakhstan drink 288 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Kazakhstan: 6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Kazakhstan has 2.2 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Kazakhstan: 64.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Kazakhstan has 261 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Kazakhstan: 3,136 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 271 more hours a year than in Kazakhstan
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Kazakhstan: 1,975 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kazakhstan went to school 1.7 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Kazakhstan: 12.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Kazakhstan: 0.5 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 23 more World Heritage sites than Kazakhstan (30 against 7)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Kazakhstan: 7 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Kazakhstan 87
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Kazakhstan: 87 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
93% of people in Kazakhstan are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 93% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Kazakhstan: 165 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Kazakhstan are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 62% in Kazakhstan
Iran: 77% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 62% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kazakhstan 127
Iran: 174 (2024) · Kazakhstan: 127 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kazakhstan’s railway network is 69% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Kazakhstan: 16,006 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Kazakhstan fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Kazakhstan: 0.57 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 6.6% of Iran, but only 1.3% of Kazakhstan
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Kazakhstan: 1.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kazakhstan emits 61% more CO₂ than someone in Iran
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Kazakhstan: 13.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
15% of Kazakhstan’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Kazakhstan: 14.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Kazakhstan
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Kazakhstan: 16 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7% more likely to be murdered in Kazakhstan than in Iran
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Kazakhstan: 2.6 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 42% deadlier than in Kazakhstan
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Kazakhstan: 20.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 11.5 °C warmer than Kazakhstan
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Kazakhstan: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Kazakhstan gets 21% more rain than Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Kazakhstan: 328 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Kazakhstan?
Kazakhstan is larger. Kazakhstan is 56% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, Iran or Kazakhstan?
Iran has 4.4 times as many people as Kazakhstan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Kazakhstan?
People in Iran live 3.3 years longer than in Kazakhstan. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 74.5 in Kazakhstan.
Are people taller in Iran or Kazakhstan?
Iran and Kazakhstan are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
