Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside Iran 17 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · South Korea: 100,460 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 1% longer than South Korea’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 3,675 m above South Korea’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Iran, versus 16% of South Korea
Iran: 29% (2024) · South Korea: 16% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 79% more people than South Korea
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 9.3 times as densely populated as Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Iran and South Korea are practically level
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 2.0 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 12 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.9 more children on average than in South Korea
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 98 times as many refugees per resident as South Korea
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · South Korea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · South Korea: 0.6 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and South Korea are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 5.2 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 3.2 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in South Korea (Gini 3 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · South Korea: 32.9 (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 South Korea
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · South Korea: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 2.7% in South Korea
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.1%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · South Korea: 2.6% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · South Korea: 13.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 2.9× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 12 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 5.8 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 4.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 44% more doctors per person than Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
South Korea has 6.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · South Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Korea is 3.9 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 7.5% in South Korea
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 0.89 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 400 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 2.8 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 555 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 336 more hours a year than in South Korea
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 1.9 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 13 more World Heritage sites than South Korea (30 against 17)
Iran: 30 (2026) · South Korea: 17 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Korea has won 409 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · South Korea: 409 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · South Korea: 298 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and South Korea are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Korea 173
Iran: 174 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as South Korea’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 7.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · South Korea: 64.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 30% more CO₂ than someone in Iran
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
10% of South Korea’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 80% more fine dust than in South Korea
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in South Korea
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 3.3 times as deadly as in South Korea
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 8.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 6.1 °C warmer than South Korea
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 4.7 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than South Korea?
Iran is larger. South Korea fits inside Iran 17 times.
Which has more people, Iran or South Korea?
Iran has 79% more people than South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 5.8 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in Iran or South Korea?
Iran and South Korea are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
