Iran: Population and Key Statistics

AsiaCapital: Tehran#15 by population

With more than 91 million people, Iran is one of the most populous countries in the Middle East. Although it holds the world's second-largest natural gas reserves and some of its largest oil reserves, international sanctions limit a significant share of its economic potential.

In a country with a highly educated and largely urbanized (77%) society, the national currency has lost much of its value over the past decade under the weight of sanctions and high inflation. Heir to thousands of years of Persian civilization, Iran is among the countries with the most entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Population (2025)
92.4 million
92,417,681 people
GDP (2025)
$363bn
nominal, current US dollars
GDP per capita
$3,924
Life expectancy
77.9
years
Area
1,745,150
km²
Population density
53
people/km²
Median age
33.8
Internet usage
85.3%

Military Strength

Military expenditure (2024)
$7.9bn
7,892 million dollars
Share of GDP
2.01%
NATO guideline: 2%
Share of government spending
12.55%
Spending per capita
$85
per year, per person
Armed forces (2020)
650 thousand
650,000 active personnel
Armed forces per 1,000 people
7.0
2.35% of the labor force

Expenditure figures come from SIPRI and personnel counts from the IISS, both distributed through the World Bank. Source years differ by indicator, so each figure is shown with its own year.

Data sourcesPopulation and social indicators: UN World Population Prospects, World BankEconomy: IMF World Economic Outlook, World BankMilitary: SIPRI and IISS, distributed through the World BankLast refreshed: 2026-08-26