Saudi Arabia vs Iran — Country Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of Saudi Arabia and Iran across population, economy, quality of life, and more. Data updated 2026.

How do Saudi Arabia and Iran compare? Saudi Arabia, located in Middle East, has a population of 36.5M and covers an area of 2.1M km². Its GDP (PPP) stands at $2.2T with a GDP per capita of $62,700. Iran, in Middle East, has a population of 89.2M across 1.6M km², with a GDP of $1.5T and GDP per capita of $16,200. In terms of quality of life, Saudi Arabia has a life expectancy of 77.2 years compared to Iran's 75.6 years.

Demographics

IndicatorSaudi ArabiaIran
Population36,544,43189,177,357
Birth Rate13.411.2
Death Rate3.54.4
Life Expectancy77.275.6
Literacy Rate97.9%86.0%

Economy

IndicatorSaudi ArabiaIran
GDP (PPP)$2.21T$1.49T
GDP per Capita$62,700$16,200
Unemployment3.9%9.2%
Inflation1.7%32.5%
Public Debt (% GDP)13.139.5

Geography

IndicatorSaudi ArabiaIran
Area (km²)2,149,6901,648,195
Coastline (km)2,6402,440
Highest Elevation (m)3,0005,625

Military & Security

IndicatorSaudi ArabiaIran
Military Spending (% GDP)7.10%2.00%
Military Personnel250,00090,000

Infrastructure

IndicatorSaudi ArabiaIran
Internet Users100.0%80.0%
Electricity Consumption383,512,000,000335,175,000,000
Oil Production (bbl/day)11,174,0004,112,000
Saudi Arabia
Iran