Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain fits inside Iran 3.4 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Spain: 505,981 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 2 times as long as Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 1,907 m above Spain’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Spain, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Spain: 49.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 87% more people than Spain
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Spain is 73% more densely populated than Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Spain and Iran are practically level
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Spain are 0.8 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 12 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.6 more children on average than in Spain
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Spain hosts 24% more refugees per resident than Iran
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Spain: 10.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Spain: 1.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Spain are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 5.3 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 3 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Spain (Gini 2.5 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.8% in Spain
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Spain: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 8.3% in Iran
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Spain and Iran are practically level
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Spain: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Spain: 14.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 3.2× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 12 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 6 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Spain
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Spain has 57% more hospital beds per person than Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Spain is 18% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 19% in Spain
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 1.39 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 584 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 3.4 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 502 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 608 more hours a year than in Spain
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 0.09 years longer than in Spain
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Spain has 20 more World Heritage sites than Iran (50 against 30)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Spain: 50 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Spain has won 195 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Spain: 195 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Spain: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Spain are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130
Iran: 174 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 69% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 9.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of Spain, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Spain: 38.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 88% more CO₂ than someone in Spain
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 3.8 times as much fine dust as in Spain
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 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 Spain
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 4.7 times as deadly as in Spain
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 6.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 4.5 °C warmer than Spain
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Spain gets 2.4 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Spain?
Iran is larger. Spain fits inside Iran 3.4 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Spain?
Iran has 87% more people than Spain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Spain?
People in Spain live 6 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in Iran or Spain?
Spain and Iran are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
