Iran vs South Africa
Iran has 1.4× the population of South Africa: 92,417,681 vs 64,747,319, a gap of 27.7 million. South Africa is growing faster (+1.15% vs +0.92% a year), adding about 744,395 people a year against +853,875. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, South Africa would overtake Iran in about 158 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2183) — a projection, not a forecast. Iran is the older society: 8.6% aged 65+ against 6.9% in South Africa, while South Africa has more children (25.7% under 15 vs 22.0%). People in Iran live 11.5 years longer on average (77.9 vs 66.3). GDP per capita is 1.7× higher in South Africa ($6,598 vs $3,924).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Iran) and 2025 (South Africa); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Iran vs South Africa — side by side
 Iran |  South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 92,417,6812025 | 64,747,3192025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.92%2025 | +1.15%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 12.62024 | 18.52024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 4.82024 | 9.22024 |
| Children per woman | 1.682024 | 2.212024 |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs2024 | 66.3 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 22.0%2025 | 25.7%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 8.6%2025 | 6.9%2025 |
| Density | 55.8 /km²2023 | 52.1 /km²2023 |
| Area | 1,745,150 km²2023 | 1,219,090 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 77.4%2025 | 63.8%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +116,7862025 | +146,3702025 |
| GDP per capita | $3,9242025 | $6,5982025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #17 | #24 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 1.12% | 0.79% |
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; South Africa: 3.9× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Regions: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · Sub-Saharan Africa · 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.
South Africa: South Africa vs India, South Africa vs China, South Africa vs United States, South Africa vs Indonesia, South Africa vs Pakistan, South Africa vs Nigeria, South Africa vs Brazil, South Africa vs Bangladesh.
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