Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Iran
Iran: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 12.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Iran, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Iran is 12.0%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Iran peaked at 17.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 2015.
That places Iran 155th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.8% | 12.4% | 13.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.8% | 14.4% | 15.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 16.8% | 16.4% | 17.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 16.5% | 15.8% | 17.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 13.7% | 14.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.6% | 12.3% | 13.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 11.8% | 11.7% | 12.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More population data for Iran
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.09 million people (2100)
- Population density 49.33 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.68 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 3.49 million people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.68 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.68 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.8% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Iran?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Iran was 12.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 17.2% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 2015.
- How does Iran rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Iran ranks 155th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.