When considering the vast expanse of the globe, understanding the size and scale of different countries becomes crucial. In this detailed comparison, we delve into various facets of Iran and the United States, with a key focus on the size of Iran compared to the US, alongside crucial data points ranging from population and economy to quality of life and infrastructure. This analysis provides a comprehensive overview, drawing from extensive data to highlight the contrasts and similarities between these two nations.
Area and General Information
The sheer geographical size of Iran compared to the US reveals a significant difference. Iran, located in South Asia, covers an area of 1,648,195 square kilometers. In stark contrast, the United States, situated in North America, is a much larger nation, spanning 9,525,067 square kilometers. This makes the United States approximately 5.8 times larger than Iran in terms of landmass.
|
Iran |
United States |
| Region |
South Asia |
North America |
| Area |
1,648,195 km² |
9,525,067 km² |
| Government Form |
Islamic Republic |
Federal presidential republic |
| Capital |
Tehran |
Washington, D.C. |
Population and Demographics
While the size of Iran compared to the US is notably smaller, population figures also present a considerable gap. Iran’s population is around 90.6 million people, whereas the United States is home to a significantly larger population of 334.9 million. Despite its smaller size, Iran has a higher population density of 55 inhabitants per square kilometer compared to the US with 35.2 inhabitants per square kilometer. Interestingly, the average age in Iran is younger at 33.8 years compared to the United States at 38.9 years.
|
Iran |
United States |
| Population |
90,609,000 |
334,915,000 |
| Inhabitants/km² |
55.0 |
35.2 |
| Life expectancy males |
Ø 72 years |
Ø 75 years |
| Life expectancy females |
Ø 77 years |
Ø 80 years |
| Average age |
Ø 33.8 years |
Ø 38.9 years |
| Birth rate |
13.70 ‰ |
11.00 ‰ |
| Death rate |
6.15 ‰ |
9.80 ‰ |
| Migration rate |
2.89 ‰ |
3.95 ‰ |
Quality of Life
Quality of life indices reveal further disparities. On a scale of 0 to 100 (bad to very good), the United States generally scores higher across various aspects. For instance, political stability in the US is rated at 71, significantly higher than Iran’s 23. Similarly, civil rights in the US score 83 compared to Iran’s 11. While the US edges out Iran in health (75 vs 58) and climate (71 vs 63), cost of living is notably lower in Iran (27 vs 39). Popularity, as a metric, also shows the US with a higher score of 84 compared to Iran’s 35.
|
Iran |
United States |
| Political stability |
23 |
71 |
| Civil rights |
11 |
83 |
| Health |
58 |
75 |
| Climate |
63 |
71 |
| Cost of Living |
27 |
39 |
| Popularity |
35 |
84 |
Economic Indicators
Economically, the contrast is stark. The average income in the United States is approximately US$ 80,450, dramatically higher than Iran’s average income of US$ 4,650. This reflects in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), where the US boasts a total GDP of 27,720,709 million US dollars compared to Iran’s 404,626 million US dollars. Unemployment rates are lower in the US (3.6%) than in Iran (9.0%), but Iran faces a significantly higher inflation rate of 44.58% compared to the US at 4.12%. The corruption index further highlights differences, with Iran at 76 (very bad) and the US at 31 (moderate).
|
Iran |
United States |
| Currency |
Iranian rial |
US dollar |
| Unemployment rate |
9.0 % |
3.6 % |
| Inflation rate |
44.58 % |
4.12 % |
| Commercial taxes and contributions |
44.70 % |
36.60 % |
| Average income |
4,650 US$ |
80,450 US$ |
| Central government debt (% of GDP) |
33.98 % |
112.26 % |
| Corruption index |
76 (very bad) |
31 (moderate) |
|
IRN:total |
per 1000inh. |
USA:total |
per 1000inh. |
| Gross domestic product |
404,626 M US$ |
4.47 M US$ |
27,720,709 M US$ |
82.77 M US$ |
| Gross national product |
421,281 M US$ |
4.65 M US$ |
26,944,999 M US$ |
80.45 M US$ |
| Exported goods |
29,727 M US$ |
0.33 M US$ |
3,071,813 M US$ |
9.17 M US$ |
| Imported goods |
17,503 M US$ |
0.19 M US$ |
3,856,704 M US$ |
11.52 M US$ |
Infrastructure and Energy
In terms of infrastructure, the size of Iran compared to the US again plays a role, but investment and development levels are also key factors. The US boasts 6,832,000 km of roadways compared to Iran’s 223,485 km. Similarly, railway networks are vastly different, with the US having 293,564 km and Iran 8,484 km. Energy production capacity in the US is also significantly higher, at 10,520,760.0 GWh compared to Iran’s 707,282.4 GWh. However, CO2 emissions are substantially higher in the US (4.32 billion tonnes) compared to Iran (616.56 million tonnes).
|
IRN:total |
per 1000inh. |
USA:total |
per 1000inh. |
| Roadways |
223,485 km |
2.47 km |
6,832,000 km |
20.40 km |
| Railways |
8,484 km |
0.09 km |
293,564 km |
0.88 km |
| Waterways |
850 km |
0.01 km |
41,009 km |
0.12 km |
| Passenger airports |
44 |
0.0005 |
635 |
0.0019 |
|
IRN:total |
per 1000inh. |
USA:total |
per 1000inh. |
| Production capacity |
707,282.4 GWh |
7,805.90 MWh |
10,520,760.0 GWh |
31,413.23 MWh |
| Energy consumption |
315,843.0 GWh |
3,485.79 MWh |
4,128,000.0 GWh |
12,325.52 MWh |
| Energy production |
360,690.0 GWh |
3,980.74 MWh |
4,291,777.0 GWh |
12,814.53 MWh |
| Energy export |
9,470.0 GWh |
104.52 MWh |
15,758.0 GWh |
47.05 MWh |
| Energy imports |
2,273.0 GWh |
25.09 MWh |
56,970.0 GWh |
170.10 MWh |
| CO2 emissions |
616.56 m t |
6,804.66 t |
4.32 bn t |
12,900.39 t |
Telecommunications and Healthcare
In telecommunications, mobile cellular subscriptions are higher in both countries than landlines, but the US has a significantly higher number of broadband internet subscriptions (131 million vs 10.9 million in Iran). Healthcare systems also differ, with the US having more hospital beds (2.75) and physicians (3.61) per 1000 inhabitants compared to Iran (1.86 and 1.51 respectively).
|
Iran |
United States |
| International dialing |
+98 |
+1 |
| Internet domain |
.ir |
.us |
|
IRNtotal |
IRNper 1000inh. |
USAtotal |
USAper 1000inh. |
| Landlines |
29,019,900 |
320 |
87,987,000 |
263 |
| Mobile cellulars |
151,000,000 |
1667 |
386,000,000 |
1153 |
| Internet users |
74,042,717 |
817 |
325,302,503 |
971 |
| Broadband Internet |
10,900,000 |
120 |
131,000,000 |
391 |
|
Iran |
United States |
| Hospital beds per 1000 inh. |
1.86 |
2.75 |
| Physicians per 1000 inh. |
1.51 |
3.61 |
| Rabies deaths |
0.000 ‰ |
0.000 ‰ |
| HIV |
0.50 ‰ |
1.70 ‰ |
| Tuberculosis |
0.11 ‰ |
0.03 ‰ |
| Diabetes |
9.1 % |
10.7 % |
| Smokers |
13.6 % |
9.0 % |
Climate and Languages
Climate data shows that Iran generally experiences warmer daytime (27.1 °C) and nighttime temperatures (15.0 °C) compared to the United States (19.1 °C and 7.6 °C respectively). However, the US has more rain days (7.1) and higher relative humidity (67%) than Iran (3.2 rain days and 51% humidity). In terms of languages, while Persian is dominant in Iran, English is the most spoken language in the US (82.1%), followed by Spanish (10.7%).
|
Iran |
United States |
| Daytime temperatures |
27.1 °C |
19.1 °C |
| Nighttime temperatures |
15.0 °C |
7.6 °C |
| Water temperature |
27.1 °C |
19.1 °C |
| Rel. humidity |
51 % |
67 % |
| Rain days |
3.2 |
7.1 |
| Sunshine hours per day |
7.7 |
7.2 |
Maximum daily temperatures in comparison
Iran
United States
|
Iran |
United States |
| English |
n/a |
82.1 % |
| Persian |
56.6 % |
n/a |
| Spanish |
n/a |
10.7 % |
| Azerbaijani |
14.3 % |
n/a |
| Kurdish |
9.1 % |
n/a |
Religions
Finally, regarding religion, Iran has Shiite Islam as the state religion, with 96.5% of the population identifying as Muslim. In contrast, the United States has no state religion; Christianity is the most prevalent religion (69.9%), but a significant portion (23.3%) identify as non-denominational.
|
Iran |
United States |
| State religion |
Shiite Islam |
none |
| Islam |
96.5 % |
0.8 % |
| Christianity |
0.4 % |
69.9 % |
| Nondenominational |
n/a |
23.3 % |
In conclusion, this comparison underscores the vast differences between Iran and the United States, starting with the fundamental aspect of size of Iran compared to the US. From geographical area and population to economic strength and quality of life indicators, the two nations present contrasting profiles across numerous metrics. This data-driven overview provides valuable insights into understanding the scale and diversity of these two countries.
