Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iran fits inside the United States 5.6 times.
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 8.2 times as long as Iran’s.
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 565 m above Iran’s.
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 3.7 times as many people as Iran.
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 52% more densely populated than the United States.
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 1.3 cm taller than in Iran.
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 2.1 cm taller than in Iran.
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 5.2 years older than in Iran.
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.1 more children on average than in the United States.
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in Iran.
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iran 0.3.
Iran: 0.3 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iran and the United States are practically level.
Iran: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 85 times the size of Iran’s.
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 4.6 times as much per person as Iran.
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Iran (Gini 5.9 points higher).
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.2% in the United States.
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Iran 2.0%.
Iran: 2% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 5× Iran’s.
Iran: 20% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 50 times as much on health per person as Iran.
Iran: $267 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 1 year longer than in Iran.
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 87% more likely to die before turning one than in the United States.
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 2 times as many doctors per person as Iran.
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 26% in Iran.
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 12% in Iran.
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 1.67 points higher than in Iran.
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 462 times as much alcohol as in Iran.
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 4.1 times as much meat per person as Iran.
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,072 kcal more food per person per day than Iran.
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 457 more hours a year than in the United States.
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 3.1 years longer than in Iran.
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 85% in Iran.
Iran: 85% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and the United States are practically level.
Iran: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 77% in Iran.
Iran: 77% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Iran: 174 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 16 times as long as Iran’s.
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran.
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 6.6% of Iran.
Iran: 6.6% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 64% more CO₂ than someone in Iran.
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran.
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 5 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Iran.
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 45% deadlier than in the United States.
Iran: 20.6 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 9.0 °C warmer than the United States.
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 3.1 times as much rain as Iran.
Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iran bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Iran fits inside the United States 5.6 times.
Which has more people, Iran or the United States?
The United States has 3.7 times as many people as Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or the United States?
People in the United States live 1 year longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Iran or the United States?
Men in the United States are 1.3 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
