Iran vs Iraq: Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Iran
13.38 million people
in 2050
Iraq
12.60 million people
in 2050
Iran rank
41st
Iraq rank
43rd
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time
- Iran
- Iraq
How they compare
Iran currently reports 13.38 million people against 12.60 million people in Iraq, a difference of 780,000 people.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times Iraq's.
Across all 133 years both countries report, Iran has been ahead every year.
Iran ranks 41st and Iraq ranks 43rd of 238 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 43 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Iraq | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 4.41 million people | 1.95 million people | 2.46 million people | Iran |
| 1100s | 4.65 million people | 1.70 million people | 2.95 million people | Iran |
| 1200s | 4.89 million people | 1.34 million people | 3.55 million people | Iran |
| 1300s | 3.42 million people | 970,789 people | 2.45 million people | Iran |
| 1400s | 3.66 million people | 969,311 people | 2.69 million people | Iran |
| 1500s | 3.90 million people | 967,834 people | 2.93 million people | Iran |
| 1600s | 4.87 million people | 1.21 million people | 3.66 million people | Iran |
| 1700s | 4.86 million people | 964,878 people | 3.90 million people | Iran |
| 1710s | 5.05 million people | 960,592 people | 4.09 million people | Iran |
| 1720s | 5.14 million people | 956,985 people | 4.19 million people | Iran |
| 1730s | 5.23 million people | 953,017 people | 4.28 million people | Iran |
| 1740s | 5.33 million people | 948,655 people | 4.38 million people | Iran |
| 1750s | 5.42 million people | 943,860 people | 4.47 million people | Iran |
| 1760s | 5.51 million people | 938,591 people | 4.57 million people | Iran |
| 1770s | 5.60 million people | 932,804 people | 4.66 million people | Iran |
| 1780s | 5.68 million people | 926,448 people | 4.76 million people | Iran |
| 1790s | 5.77 million people | 919,470 people | 4.85 million people | Iran |
| 1800s | 5.85 million people | 911,809 people | 4.94 million people | Iran |
| 1810s | 5.93 million people | 950,788 people | 4.98 million people | Iran |
| 1820s | 6.01 million people | 990,441 people | 5.02 million people | Iran |
| 1830s | 6.30 million people | 1.03 million people | 5.27 million people | Iran |
| 1840s | 6.57 million people | 1.07 million people | 5.50 million people | Iran |
| 1850s | 6.83 million people | 1.11 million people | 5.72 million people | Iran |
| 1860s | 7.08 million people | 1.15 million people | 5.93 million people | Iran |
| 1870s | 7.31 million people | 1.29 million people | 6.02 million people | Iran |
| 1880s | 8.31 million people | 1.45 million people | 6.86 million people | Iran |
| 1890s | 9.26 million people | 1.62 million people | 7.64 million people | Iran |
| 1900s | 9.94 million people | 1.81 million people | 8.13 million people | Iran |
| 1910s | 10.57 million people | 2.01 million people | 8.56 million people | Iran |
| 1920s | 11.14 million people | 2.16 million people | 8.98 million people | Iran |
| 1930s | 11.66 million people | 2.18 million people | 9.47 million people | Iran |
| 1940s | 12.10 million people | 3.01 million people | 9.08 million people | Iran |
| 1950s | 12.91 million people | 3.86 million people | 9.05 million people | Iran |
| 1960s | 15.53 million people | 4.00 million people | 11.53 million people | Iran |
| 1970s | 18.18 million people | 4.39 million people | 13.79 million people | Iran |
| 1980s | 22.70 million people | 4.81 million people | 17.90 million people | Iran |
| 1990s | 24.82 million people | 6.49 million people | 18.33 million people | Iran |
| 2000s | 23.19 million people | 8.69 million people | 14.50 million people | Iran |
| 2010s | 22.11 million people | 11.10 million people | 11.01 million people | Iran |
| 2020s | 20.87 million people | 13.94 million people | 6.93 million people | Iran |
| 2030s | 18.66 million people | 15.60 million people | 3.06 million people | Iran |
| 2040s | 15.45 million people | 14.57 million people | 880,740 people | Iran |
| 2050s | 13.38 million people | 12.60 million people | 780,000 people | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Iran or Iraq?
- Iran, at 13.38 million people against 12.60 million people in Iraq as of 2050.
- What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Iran and Iraq?
- 780,000 people, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Iraq?
- 133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
- How do Iran and Iraq rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
- Iran ranks 41st and Iraq ranks 43rd of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modeled historical data.