Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sudan is 8% bigger than Iran
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 2.9 times as long as Sudan’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 2,583 m above Sudan’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of Sudan, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Sudan: 60.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 79% more people than Sudan
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 2.1 times as densely populated as Sudan
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 3.6 cm taller than in Sudan
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 0.8 cm taller than in Sudan
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 15 years older than in Sudan
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 2.6 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Sudan
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sudan hosts 88% more refugees per resident than Iran
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Sudan: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sudan none
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 6 times the size of Sudan’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 9 times as much per person as Sudan
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Sudan (Gini 1.7 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 7.5% in Sudan
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Sudan 0.9%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Sudan: 7.4% (2016)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.7× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 13 times as much on health per person as Sudan
Iran: $267 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 11 years longer than in Sudan
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 4.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 7.2 times as many doctors per person as Sudan
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 2.8 times as many hospital beds per person as Sudan
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Sudan: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 62% higher than in Sudan
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 3.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 16% in Sudan
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 1.01 points higher than in Sudan
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sudan drink 68 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 63% more meat per person than Sudan
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 362 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 412 more hours a year than in Iran
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 6.9 years longer than in Sudan
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 27 more World Heritage sites than Sudan (30 against 3)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Sudan: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Sudan 1
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Sudan: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 19% in Sudan
Iran: 85% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Sudan: 79 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan
Iran: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan
Iran: 77% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70
Iran: 174 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 3.4 times as long as Sudan’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 12% of Sudan, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Sudan: 11.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 25 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 31% more fine dust than in Sudan
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Sudan: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 2% deadlier than in Sudan
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 28.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 8.4 °C warmer than Iran
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iran gets 59% more rain than Sudan
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Sudan is 8% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, Iran or Sudan?
Iran has 79% more people than Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Sudan?
People in Iran live 11 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Iran or Sudan?
Men in Iran are 3.6 cm taller than in Sudan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
