Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Romania fits inside Iran 7.3 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Romania: 238,397 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 11 times as long as Romania’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 3,081 m above Romania’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Romania, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Romania: 55.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 4.9 times as many people as Romania
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 45% more densely populated than Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 2.2 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 3.5 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 9.8 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.3 more children on average than in Romania
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Romania hosts 30% more refugees per resident than Iran
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Romania: 10.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Romania: 2.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Romania are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania’s economy is 18% larger than Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 2.6 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Romania (Gini 6.1 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.7% in Romania
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Romania: 0.7% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 6.0% in Romania
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania and Iran are practically level
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Romania: 2.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Romania: 16.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Romania’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Romania spends 3.9 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 1.4 years longer than in Romania
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 72% more likely to die before turning one than in Romania
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 2 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Romania has 3.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Romania: 7.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Romania is 37% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 8.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 1.48 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 826 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 2.4 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 774 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 420 more hours a year than in Romania
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 0.7 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 19 more World Heritage sites than Romania (30 against 11)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Romania: 11 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Romania has won 318 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Romania: 318 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Romania: 316 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Romania are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 52% in Romania
Iran: 77% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120
Iran: 174 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 14% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 32% more passengers per resident than those from Romania
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Romania: 30.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Romania
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.1 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in Romania
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 2.1 times as deadly as in Romania
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 13.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 8.3 °C warmer than Romania
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Romania gets 2.8 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Romania?
Iran is larger. Romania fits inside Iran 7.3 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Romania?
Iran has 4.9 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Romania?
People in Iran live 1.4 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Iran or Romania?
Men in Romania are 2.2 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
