Urban population in Iran

Iran: Urban population was 71.51 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
71.51 million
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
12th
of 215 countries
All-time high
71.51 million
in 2025
All-time low
7.29 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Urban population in Iran, 1960–2025

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M196019922025

Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).

Analysis

In 2025, urban population in Iran stood at 71.51 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population in Iran peaked at 71.51 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.29 million, in 1960.

That places Iran 12th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 9.21 million 7.29 million 11.49 million 10
1970s 15.31 million 12.10 million 18.91 million 10
1980s 25.90 million 19.90 million 31.70 million 10
1990s 37.30 million 32.96 million 41.70 million 10
2000s 48.08 million 42.83 million 53.51 million 10
2010s 60.06 million 54.67 million 65.47 million 10
2020s 68.90 million 66.32 million 71.51 million 6

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 9 Mexico 105.61 million compare
  2. 10 Pakistan 100.88 million compare
  3. 11 Turkey 76.86 million compare
  4. 13 Germany 68.58 million compare
  5. 14 Philippines 65.14 million compare
  6. 15 Bangladesh 58.40 million compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More climate change data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population in Iran?
Urban population in Iran was 71.51 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest urban population recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 71.51 million in 2025.
What is the lowest urban population recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 7.29 million in 1960.
How does Iran rank for urban population?
Iran ranks 12th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is urban population rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban population
Source
World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 17,394 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.