Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside Iran 3.3 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 32% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 3,525 m above Sweden’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Iran, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Iran: 29% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 8.7 times as many people as Sweden
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 2.2 times as densely populated as Sweden
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 4.8 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 5.5 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 7 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.3 more children on average than in Sweden
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 63% more refugees per resident than Iran
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Sweden are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 84% larger than Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 3.7 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Sweden (Gini 6.6 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (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 Sweden
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Sweden and Iran are practically level
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and Iran are practically level
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 4.4× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 24 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 6.2 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 5.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sweden has 3% more hospital beds per person than Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 2.1 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 2.10 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 420 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 2.3 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 492 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 815 more hours a year than in Sweden
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 1.9 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 15 more World Heritage sites than Sweden (30 against 15)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Sweden are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141
Iran: 174 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 3% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 9.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sweden
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 6.6 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 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 Sweden
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 8.5 times as deadly as in Sweden
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 14.9 °C warmer than Sweden
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 2.9 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Sweden?
Iran is larger. Sweden fits inside Iran 3.3 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Sweden?
Iran has 8.7 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 6.2 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Iran or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 4.8 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
