Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Iran vs Saudi Arabia: Urban population
Urban population in 2025: 77.4% in Iran and 84.6% in Saudi Arabia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 7.2 percentage points, or 1.09 times that in Iran.
% of people · UN
What the numbers say
- Saudi Arabia has been higher since 1964, when it overtook Iran.
- In 2025, Iran ranked 75 and Saudi Arabia ranked 51 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Iran at 86.9% and Saudi Arabia at 87.5% in 2050.
Every year
% of people · UN
| Year | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 77.4 | 84.6 |
| 2024 | 77 | 84.5 |
| 2023 | 76.7 | 84.3 |
| 2022 | 76.3 | 84.1 |
| 2021 | 76 | 84 |
| 2020 | 75.6 | 83.8 |
| 2019 | 75.2 | 83.6 |
| 2018 | 74.8 | 83.5 |
| 2017 | 74.4 | 83.3 |
| 2016 | 73.9 | 83.1 |
| 2015 | 73.4 | 83 |
| 2014 | 72.8 | 82.8 |
| 2013 | 72.3 | 82.6 |
| 2012 | 71.8 | 82.4 |
| 2011 | 71.2 | 82.3 |
| 2010 | 70.6 | 82.1 |
| 2009 | 70 | 81.9 |
| 2008 | 69.4 | 81.6 |
| 2007 | 68.8 | 81.4 |
| 2006 | 68.3 | 81.2 |
| 2005 | 67.9 | 81 |
| 2004 | 67.3 | 80.8 |
| 2003 | 66.6 | 80.5 |
| 2002 | 65.9 | 80.3 |
| 2001 | 65.2 | 80.2 |
| 2000 | 64.5 | 80 |
| 1999 | 63.7 | 79.8 |
| 1998 | 62.9 | 79.6 |
| 1997 | 62.1 | 79.4 |
| 1996 | 61.1 | 79.2 |
| 1995 | 60.4 | 78.9 |
| 1994 | 59.6 | 78.7 |
| 1993 | 58.7 | 78.3 |
| 1992 | 57.9 | 78 |
| 1991 | 56.9 | 77.6 |
| 1990 | 56.5 | 77 |
| 1989 | 55.9 | 76.3 |
| 1988 | 55.4 | 75.6 |
| 1987 | 54.8 | 74.8 |
| 1986 | 54.2 | 73.9 |
| 1985 | 53.6 | 72.9 |
| 1984 | 52.8 | 71.9 |
| 1983 | 52.1 | 70.6 |
| 1982 | 51.4 | 69.3 |
| 1981 | 50.7 | 67.9 |
| 1980 | 49.9 | 66.4 |
| 1979 | 49.2 | 64.9 |
| 1978 | 48.5 | 63.3 |
| 1977 | 47.8 | 61.7 |
| 1976 | 46.8 | 60.1 |
| 1975 | 46.1 | 58.4 |
| 1974 | 45.2 | 56.8 |
| 1973 | 44.3 | 55.1 |
| 1972 | 43.3 | 53.2 |
| 1971 | 42.4 | 51.2 |
| 1970 | 41.5 | 49.2 |
| 1969 | 40.6 | 47.1 |
| 1968 | 39.7 | 45 |
| 1967 | 38.9 | 42.9 |
| 1966 | 37.7 | 40.9 |
| 1965 | 37.1 | 39 |
| 1964 | 36.6 | 37.2 |
| 1963 | 36 | 35.6 |
| 1962 | 35.3 | 34.1 |
| 1961 | 34.6 | 32.8 |
| 1960 | 34 | 31.4 |
| 1959 | 33.3 | 30.2 |
| 1958 | 32.6 | 29 |
| 1957 | 31.9 | 27.8 |
| 1956 | 31.2 | 26.7 |
| 1955 | 30.5 | 25.6 |
| 1954 | 29.9 | 24.6 |
| 1953 | 29.3 | 23.7 |
| 1952 | 28.7 | 22.8 |
| 1951 | 28.1 | 22 |
| 1950 | 27.5 | 21.3 |
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
| Year | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 77.7 | 84.8 |
| 2027 | 78.1 | 84.9 |
| 2028 | 78.5 | 85.1 |
| 2029 | 78.8 | 85.2 |
| 2030 | 79.2 | 85.4 |
| 2031 | 79.5 | 85.5 |
| 2032 | 79.9 | 85.6 |
| 2033 | 80.3 | 85.8 |
| 2034 | 80.6 | 85.9 |
| 2035 | 81 | 86 |
| 2036 | 81.4 | 86.2 |
| 2037 | 81.8 | 86.3 |
| 2038 | 82.1 | 86.4 |
| 2039 | 82.5 | 86.5 |
| 2040 | 82.9 | 86.6 |
| 2041 | 83.3 | 86.7 |
| 2042 | 83.7 | 86.8 |
| 2043 | 84.1 | 86.9 |
| 2044 | 84.5 | 87 |
| 2045 | 84.8 | 87.1 |
| 2046 | 85.2 | 87.2 |
| 2047 | 85.6 | 87.3 |
| 2048 | 86.1 | 87.3 |
| 2049 | 86.5 | 87.4 |
| 2050 | 86.9 | 87.5 |
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
Iran vs Saudi Arabia
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 78.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024Saudi Arabia: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Saudi Arabia: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017Saudi Arabia: 3.54% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Saudi Arabia: 2.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 33.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.39% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.28 births per woman in 2023
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023Saudi Arabia: 29.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023Saudi Arabia: 2.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Saudi Arabia: 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025Saudi Arabia: 6.48% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIran: $7.45B in 2025Saudi Arabia: $81.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025Saudi Arabia: $2,428 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025Saudi Arabia: 23.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020Saudi Arabia: 282,000 people in 2020
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022Saudi Arabia: 1.34% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020Saudi Arabia: 1.92% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024Saudi Arabia: 3.04 billion TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025Saudi Arabia: 3 million TIV in 2023