Egypt vs Iran: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 42.9% in Egypt and 77.4% in Iran, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Iran, by 34.5 percentage points, or 1.8 times that in Egypt.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

EgyptIranUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Iran has been higher since 1972, when it overtook Egypt.
In 2025, Egypt ranked 174 and Iran ranked 75 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Egypt at 49.6% and Iran at 86.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Egypt	Iran
2025	42.9	77.4
2024	42.8	77
2023	42.7	76.7
2022	42.6	76.3
2021	42.6	76
2020	42.5	75.6
2019	42.5	75.2
2018	42.5	74.8
2017	42.5	74.4
2016	42.5	73.9
2015	42.6	73.4
2014	42.7	72.8
2013	42.8	72.3
2012	42.8	71.8
2011	42.9	71.2
2010	42.9	70.6
2009	42.9	70
2008	43	69.4
2007	43	68.8
2006	43	68.3
2005	43	67.9
2004	42.9	67.3
2003	42.9	66.6
2002	42.8	65.9
2001	42.8	65.2
2000	42.7	64.5
1999	42.7	63.7
1998	42.7	62.9
1997	42.6	62.1
1996	42.6	61.1
1995	42.7	60.4
1994	42.8	59.6
1993	43	58.7
1992	43.2	57.9
1991	43.4	56.9
1990	43.6	56.5
1989	43.7	55.9
1988	43.9	55.4
1987	44	54.8
1986	44	54.2
1985	44	53.6
1984	44	52.8
1983	43.9	52.1
1982	43.9	51.4
1981	43.9	50.7
1980	43.9	49.9
1979	43.9	49.2
1978	43.8	48.5
1977	43.8	47.8
1976	43.8	46.8
1975	43.7	46.1
1974	43.5	45.2
1973	43.4	44.3
1972	43.1	43.3
1971	42.9	42.4
1970	42.6	41.5
1969	42.3	40.6
1968	41.9	39.7
1967	41.6	38.9
1966	41.2	37.7
1965	40.8	37.1
1964	40.3	36.6
1963	39.7	36
1962	39.1	35.3
1961	38.4	34.6
1960	37.8	34
1959	37.2	33.3
1958	36.6	32.6
1957	35.9	31.9
1956	35.2	31.2
1955	34.6	30.5
1954	33.9	29.9
1953	33.2	29.3
1952	32.6	28.7
1951	32	28.1
1950	31.4	27.5

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Egypt	Iran
2026	43	77.7
2027	43.2	78.1
2028	43.3	78.5
2029	43.5	78.8
2030	43.6	79.2
2031	43.8	79.5
2032	44	79.9
2033	44.2	80.3
2034	44.4	80.6
2035	44.7	81
2036	44.9	81.4
2037	45.2	81.8
2038	45.4	82.1
2039	45.7	82.5
2040	46	82.9
2041	46.3	83.3
2042	46.6	83.7
2043	47	84.1
2044	47.3	84.5
2045	47.7	84.8
2046	48	85.2
2047	48.4	85.6
2048	48.8	86.1
2049	49.2	86.5
2050	49.6	86.9

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Egypt vs Iran: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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