Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Saudi Arabia is 23% bigger than Iran
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 8% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 2,625 m above Saudi Arabia’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 82% of Saudi Arabia, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 81.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 2.5 times as many people as Saudi Arabia
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 3.3 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 5.0 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 2.3 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 3.6 years older than in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.6 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 688 times as many refugees per resident as Saudi Arabia
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0.012 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 3.5 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 3.7 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 6.5% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.1%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Saudi Arabia: 8.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 6.8 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 1.1 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 88% more doctors per person than Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Saudi Arabia has 30% more hospital beds per person than Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 2.7 times that in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
15% of adults in Saudi Arabia smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 1.67 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Saudi Arabia has 94% more meat per person than Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 785 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 122 more hours a year than in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Saudi Arabia went to school 0.76 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 22 more World Heritage sites than Saudi Arabia (30 against 8)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Saudi Arabia 4
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Saudi Arabia: 196 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia 160
Iran: 174 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 3.2 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 6.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 6.6% of Iran, but only 1.3% of Saudi Arabia
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iran
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
3.8% of Iran’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 34% more fine dust than in Iran
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.5 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 35% deadlier than in Saudi Arabia
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 21.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 7.5 °C warmer than Iran
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iran gets 4.4 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Saudi Arabia is 23% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Iran has 2.5 times as many people as Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Saudi Arabia?
People in Saudi Arabia live 1.1 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Iran or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Iran are 5.0 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
