Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Iran has 2.5× the population of Saudi Arabia: 92,417,681 vs 36,973,555, a gap of 55.4 million. Saudi Arabia is growing faster (+4.63% vs +0.92% a year), adding about 1,712,320 people a year against +853,875. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Saudi Arabia would overtake Iran in about 25 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2050) — a projection, not a forecast. Iran is the older society: 8.6% aged 65+ against 3.1% in Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Arabia has more children (23.6% under 15 vs 22.0%). Iran is 3.6× as densely populated (55.8 vs 15.7 people per km²). People in Saudi Arabia live 1.1 years longer on average (79.0 vs 77.9). GDP per capita is 8.8× higher in Saudi Arabia ($34,537 vs $3,924).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Iran) and 2025 (Saudi Arabia); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Iran vs Saudi Arabia — side by side
 Iran |  Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 92,417,6812025 | 36,973,5552025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.92%2025 | +4.63%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 12.62024 | 16.52024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 4.82024 | 2.32024 |
| Children per woman | 1.682024 | 2.312024 |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs2024 | 79.0 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 22.0%2025 | 23.6%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 8.6%2025 | 3.1%2025 |
| Density | 55.8 /km²2023 | 15.7 /km²2023 |
| Area | 1,745,150 km²2023 | 2,149,690 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 77.4%2025 | 84.6%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +116,7862025 | +119,7382025 |
| GDP per capita | $3,9242025 | $34,5372025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #17 | #43 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 1.12% | 0.45% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Iran: 4.3× from 1960 to 2025; Saudi Arabia: 15.2× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · rankings
Iran: Iran vs India, Iran vs China, Iran vs United States, Iran vs Indonesia, Iran vs Pakistan, Iran vs Nigeria, Iran vs Brazil, Iran vs Bangladesh.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia vs Iran, Saudi Arabia vs Ukraine, Saudi Arabia vs Morocco, Saudi Arabia vs Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia vs Poland, Saudi Arabia vs Malaysia, Saudi Arabia vs Mozambique.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.