Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ukraine fits inside Iran 2.9 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ukraine’s coastline is 14% longer than Iran’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 3,564 m above Ukraine’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 71% of Ukraine, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Ukraine: 71.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 2.4 times as many people as Ukraine
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Ukraine: 39 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ukraine is 18% more densely populated than Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ukraine are 5.4 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 181 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 5.4 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ukraine is 9.1 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Ukraine: 42 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.7 more children on average than in Ukraine
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Ukraine are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Ukraine: 19% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 137 times as many refugees per resident as Ukraine
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Ukraine: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ukraine has produced 1.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Ukraine: 1.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iran and Ukraine are practically level
Iran: 1 (2026) · Ukraine: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 69% larger than Ukraine’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Ukraine: $214 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 4% more per person than Ukraine
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Ukraine (Gini 10.3 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Ukraine: 25.6 (2020)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in Ukraine
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Ukraine: 0% (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.8% in Ukraine, versus 8.3% in Iran
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Ukraine: 9.8% (2021)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 40% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.1%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Ukraine: 39.6% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Ukraine: 21% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ukraine’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Ukraine: 31% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ukraine spends 39% more on health per person than Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Ukraine: $370 (2021)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 3.2 years longer than in Ukraine
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 36% more likely to die before turning one than in Ukraine
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ukraine has 95% more doctors per person than Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Ukraine has 3.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Ukraine: 6.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ukraine is 3.2 times that in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Ukraine: 18.9 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
28% of adults in Ukraine are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Ukraine: 27.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Ukraine smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Ukraine: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 0.49 points higher than in Ukraine
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Ukraine: 4.66 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ukraine drink 188 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ukraine has 65% more meat per person than Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 89 kcal more food per person per day than Ukraine
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 201 more hours a year than in Ukraine
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Ukraine: 2,045 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ukraine went to school 0.28 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Ukraine: 0.07 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 22 more World Heritage sites than Ukraine (30 against 8)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Ukraine: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ukraine has won 160 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Ukraine: 160 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 82% in Ukraine
Iran: 85% (2024) · Ukraine: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Ukraine: 178 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Ukraine are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Ukraine: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 70% in Ukraine
Iran: 77% (2025) · Ukraine: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133
Iran: 174 (2024) · Ukraine: 133 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Iran’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 17 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Ukraine: 0.01 (2022)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Ukraine, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Ukraine: 17.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ukraine
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
16% of Ukraine’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Ukraine: 16.4% (2022)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Ukraine
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Ukraine: 14.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 59% more likely to be murdered in Ukraine than in Iran
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 55% deadlier than in Ukraine
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Ukraine: 18.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 9.0 °C warmer than Ukraine
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ukraine gets 2.3 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than Ukraine?
Iran is larger. Ukraine fits inside Iran 2.9 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Ukraine?
Iran has 2.4 times as many people as Ukraine (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Ukraine?
People in Iran live 3.2 years longer than in Ukraine. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 74.7 in Ukraine.
Are people taller in Iran or Ukraine?
Men in Ukraine are 5.4 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
