Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside Iran 7.2 times.
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 5.1 times as long as Iran’s.
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 4,280 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 33% more people than the United Kingdom.
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 5 times as densely populated as Iran.
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.6 cm taller than in Iran.
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 2.8 cm taller than in Iran.
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 6.9 years older than in Iran.
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.1 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran.
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3.
Iran: 0.3 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iran and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Iran: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 11 times the size of Iran’s.
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 3.3 times as much per person as Iran.
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in the United Kingdom (Gini 3.5 points higher).
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and Iran are practically level.
Iran: 2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 4.5× Iran’s.
Iran: 20% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 22 times as much on health per person as Iran.
Iran: $267 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 3.5 years longer than in Iran.
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 2.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 82% more doctors per person than Iran.
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 26% in Iran.
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 12% in Iran.
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 1.54 points higher than in Iran.
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 505 times as much alcohol as in Iran.
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 2.8 times as much meat per person as Iran.
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 559 kcal more food per person per day than Iran.
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 723 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 2.6 years longer than in Iran.
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 85% in Iran.
Iran: 85% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Iran: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 77% in Iran.
Iran: 77% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
Iran: 174 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 71% longer than Iran’s.
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 8.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran.
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 6.6% of Iran.
Iran: 6.6% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 91% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran.
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 4.3 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 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 the United Kingdom.
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 8.6 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
Iran: 20.6 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 9.4 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 3.9 times as much rain as Iran.
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than the United Kingdom?
Iran is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside Iran 7.2 times.
Which has more people, Iran or the United Kingdom?
Iran has 33% more people than the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 3.5 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Iran or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 2.6 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
