Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Mexico is 12% bigger than Iran
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 3.8 times as long as Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico and Iran are practically level
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 51% of Mexico, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Mexico: 50.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 43% more people than Iran
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Mexico: 132 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Mexico is 19% more densely populated than Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Mexico: 68 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 5.3 cm taller than in Mexico
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 3.3 cm taller than in Mexico
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 4 years older than in Mexico
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Mexico: 28.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Mexico have 0.2 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iran and Mexico are practically level
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Mexico: 8.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 7.2 times as many refugees per resident as Mexico
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Mexico: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Mexico 0.2
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Mexico: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Mexico are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Mexico: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 5.1 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mexico produces 31% more per person than Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in Iran (Gini 6.7 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Mexico: 42.6 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in Mexico
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Mexico: 1.6% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 2.7% in Mexico
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Mexico: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.7%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Mexico: 0.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Mexico: 14.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Mexico: 54% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mexico spends 2.8 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Mexico: $761 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 2.6 years longer than in Mexico
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Mexico: 75.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Mexico is 17% more likely to die before turning one than in Iran
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mexico has 43% more doctors per person than Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 83% more hospital beds per person than Mexico
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Mexico: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Mexico is 45% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 8.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Mexico: 37.4% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in Mexico smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Mexico: 15.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 1.82 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Mexico: 6.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mexico drink 324 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 2.6 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 429 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 617 more hours a year than in Mexico
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 1.5 years longer than in Mexico
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Mexico: 9.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Mexico: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Mexico has 6 more World Heritage sites than Iran (36 against 30)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Mexico: 36 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Mexico 77
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Mexico: 77 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 83% in Mexico
Iran: 85% (2024) · Mexico: 83% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Mexico: 152 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Mexico are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Mexico: 99.8% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · Mexico: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116
Iran: 174 (2024) · Mexico: 116 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Mexico: 23,389 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Mexico fly 3.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Mexico: 0.6 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Mexico, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Mexico: 34.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Mexico
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Mexico: 3.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of Mexico’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Mexico: 23.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in Mexico
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 10 times as likely to be murdered in Mexico as in Iran
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 51% deadlier than in Mexico
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Mexico: 19.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Mexico is on average 2.1 °C warmer than Iran
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Mexico gets 2.9 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Mexico?
Mexico is larger. Mexico is 12% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, Iran or Mexico?
Mexico has 43% more people than Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Mexico?
People in Iran live 2.6 years longer than in Mexico. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 75.3 in Mexico.
Are people taller in Iran or Mexico?
Men in Iran are 5.3 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
