Iran Population
Iran had an estimated population of 92,417,681 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 17th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 1.12% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +0.92% a year.
Iran at a glance
How Iran's population is changing
Iran's population is growing: +0.92% a year, which works out to about +853,875 people per year, or +2,338 a day. Births (12.6 per 1,000) and deaths (4.8 per 1,000) alone would give +0.78% a year; net migration adds about 116,786 people a year (+0.13%). Roughly one in every 89 people on Earth lives in Iran.
Population of Iran since 1960
In 1960, Iran had 21,470,434 people. By 2025 that was 92,417,681 — 4.3× larger. The fastest growth came between 1977 and 1987, when the population rose by 48%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 21,470,434 | — |
| 1970 | 29,145,100 | +35.7% |
| 1980 | 39,842,324 | +36.7% |
| 1990 | 58,380,092 | +46.5% |
| 2000 | 66,418,659 | +13.8% |
| 2010 | 77,420,842 | +16.6% |
| 2020 | 87,723,443 | +13.3% |
| 2025 | 92,417,681 | +5.4% |
Iran from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Iran at about 6,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 92,417,684 in 2025 (15× 1800) and projects 80,045,296 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2053 at 101,996,360 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 6,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 7,506,013 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 10,122,370 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 16,510,553 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 66,418,661 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 92,417,684 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 101,861,995 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 93,840,624 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 80,045,296 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Iran
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 92,417,681. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tehran | 9,174,964 | UN urban centre | 9.93% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Mashhad | 5,398,248 | UN urban centre | 5.84% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Karaj | 3,598,661 | UN urban centre | 3.89% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Isfahan | 1,844,409 | UN urban centre | 2.00% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Tabriz | 1,309,004 | UN urban centre | 1.42% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Shiraz | 914,496 | UN urban centre | 0.99% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Ahvaz | 841,145 | GeoNames settlement | 0.91% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Kermanshah | 837,230 | UN urban centre | 0.91% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Qom | 815,416 | UN urban centre | 0.88% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Rasht | 579,481 | UN urban centre | 0.63% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Iran compares
Iran has almost the same population as Türkiye (85,878,556).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Iran | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #15 |  DR Congo | 112,832,473 | +22% | compare → |
| #16 |  Vietnam | 101,598,527 | +10% | compare → |
| #18 |  Türkiye | 85,878,556 | −7% | compare → |
| #19 |  Germany | 83,491,249 | −10% | compare → |
Compare Iran with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen.
Explore around Iran
Land neighbours (7)
Pakistan 255,219,554 · 2.8× the population · compare- Türkiye 85,878,556 · about the same population · compare
Iraq 47,020,774 · 2.0× smaller · compare
Afghanistan 43,844,111 · 2.1× smaller · compare
Azerbaijan 10,246,996 · 9.0× smaller · compare
Turkmenistan 7,618,847 · 12.1× smaller · compare
Armenia 3,086,700 · 29.9× smaller · compare
Iran's 7 neighbours together hold 452,915,538 people — 4.9× Iran's population. The most populous is Pakistan (255,219,554).
In its region
Iran is the 3rd most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 11.2% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Iran
Cities
Tehran, Mashhad, Karaj, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Ahvaz, Kermanshah — all Iran's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Iran when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
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.