Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Iran 42 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 5.4 times as long as the Netherlands’
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 4,763 m above the Netherlands’
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of the Netherlands, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Netherlands: 53.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 5.1 times as many people as the Netherlands
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 9.4 times as densely populated as Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 8.2 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 9.2 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 8.5 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.3 more children on average than in the Netherlands
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands hosts 88% more refugees per resident than Iran
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and the Netherlands are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 3.7 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 4.4 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in the Netherlands (Gini 10.2 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in the Netherlands
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Netherlands: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands and Iran are practically level
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Netherlands: 25.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 4.2× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 26 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 4.1 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 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 the Netherlands
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 2.1 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The Netherlands has 31% more hospital beds per person than Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Netherlands is 60% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.07 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 414 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 2.4 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 592 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 807 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 1.8 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 17 more World Heritage sites than the Netherlands (30 against 13)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Netherlands: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Netherlands has won 524 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and the Netherlands are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129
Iran: 174 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 3.1 times as long as the Netherlands’
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of the Netherlands, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 11% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 37% more CO₂ than someone in the Netherlands
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.4 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in the Netherlands
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 5.7 times as deadly as in the Netherlands
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 8.1 °C warmer than the Netherlands
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 3.3 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than the Netherlands?
Iran is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Iran 42 times.
Which has more people, Iran or the Netherlands?
Iran has 5.1 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 4.1 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Iran or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 8.2 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
