Canada vs Iran: Urban area over the long-term

Canada
9,053 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Iran
8,281 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Canada rank
15th
Iran rank
17th

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Canada
  • Iran
02.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k100015122025

How they compare

Canada currently reports 9,053 km² per grid cell against 8,281 km² per grid cell in Iran, a difference of 772 km² per grid cell.

That makes Canada's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Iran ahead.

Canada ranks 15th and Iran ranks 17th of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 12 and Iran in 28.

Head to head by decade

Decade Canada Iran Difference Ahead
1000s 0.0006 km² per grid cell 30.81 km² per grid cell 30.81 km² per grid cell Iran
1100s 0.0023 km² per grid cell 34.16 km² per grid cell 34.16 km² per grid cell Iran
1200s 0.0079 km² per grid cell 37.68 km² per grid cell 37.67 km² per grid cell Iran
1300s 0.0271 km² per grid cell 27.58 km² per grid cell 27.56 km² per grid cell Iran
1400s 0.0916 km² per grid cell 30.85 km² per grid cell 30.75 km² per grid cell Iran
1500s 0.3052 km² per grid cell 34.28 km² per grid cell 33.98 km² per grid cell Iran
1600s 0.9156 km² per grid cell 44.57 km² per grid cell 43.66 km² per grid cell Iran
1700s 2.75 km² per grid cell 46.3 km² per grid cell 43.55 km² per grid cell Iran
1710s 3.1 km² per grid cell 54.37 km² per grid cell 51.27 km² per grid cell Iran
1720s 4.2 km² per grid cell 60.8 km² per grid cell 56.6 km² per grid cell Iran
1730s 5.71 km² per grid cell 68 km² per grid cell 62.29 km² per grid cell Iran
1740s 7.8 km² per grid cell 76.05 km² per grid cell 68.26 km² per grid cell Iran
1750s 10.66 km² per grid cell 85.06 km² per grid cell 74.39 km² per grid cell Iran
1760s 14.62 km² per grid cell 95.13 km² per grid cell 80.51 km² per grid cell Iran
1770s 20.09 km² per grid cell 106.39 km² per grid cell 86.3 km² per grid cell Iran
1780s 27.65 km² per grid cell 118.98 km² per grid cell 91.33 km² per grid cell Iran
1790s 38.11 km² per grid cell 133.07 km² per grid cell 94.96 km² per grid cell Iran
1800s 52.53 km² per grid cell 148.83 km² per grid cell 96.3 km² per grid cell Iran
1810s 72.23 km² per grid cell 166.45 km² per grid cell 94.22 km² per grid cell Iran
1820s 99.52 km² per grid cell 186.15 km² per grid cell 86.64 km² per grid cell Iran
1830s 135.4 km² per grid cell 215.41 km² per grid cell 80.01 km² per grid cell Iran
1840s 180.25 km² per grid cell 248.56 km² per grid cell 68.31 km² per grid cell Iran
1850s 232.59 km² per grid cell 286.06 km² per grid cell 53.47 km² per grid cell Iran
1860s 339.51 km² per grid cell 328.45 km² per grid cell 11.06 km² per grid cell Canada
1870s 387.76 km² per grid cell 376.32 km² per grid cell 11.43 km² per grid cell Canada
1880s 442.36 km² per grid cell 475.32 km² per grid cell 32.96 km² per grid cell Iran
1890s 487.17 km² per grid cell 589.77 km² per grid cell 102.6 km² per grid cell Iran
1900s 531.7 km² per grid cell 705.92 km² per grid cell 174.22 km² per grid cell Iran
1910s 749.95 km² per grid cell 838.84 km² per grid cell 88.89 km² per grid cell Iran
1920s 926.64 km² per grid cell 990.54 km² per grid cell 63.9 km² per grid cell Iran
1930s 1,209 km² per grid cell 1,161 km² per grid cell 47.23 km² per grid cell Canada
1940s 1,452 km² per grid cell 1,333 km² per grid cell 118.74 km² per grid cell Canada
1950s 2,154 km² per grid cell 1,535 km² per grid cell 619.06 km² per grid cell Canada
1960s 3,088 km² per grid cell 1,678 km² per grid cell 1,409 km² per grid cell Canada
1970s 3,924 km² per grid cell 1,866 km² per grid cell 2,058 km² per grid cell Canada
1980s 4,586 km² per grid cell 2,602 km² per grid cell 1,985 km² per grid cell Canada
1990s 5,485 km² per grid cell 3,855 km² per grid cell 1,630 km² per grid cell Canada
2000s 6,472 km² per grid cell 5,180 km² per grid cell 1,293 km² per grid cell Canada
2010s 7,642 km² per grid cell 6,621 km² per grid cell 1,020 km² per grid cell Canada
2020s 8,714 km² per grid cell 7,890 km² per grid cell 824.77 km² per grid cell Canada

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Canada or Iran?
Canada, at 9,053 km² per grid cell against 8,281 km² per grid cell in Iran as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Canada and Iran?
772 km² per grid cell, with Canada ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Iran?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Canada and Iran rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Canada ranks 15th and Iran ranks 17th of 202 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Canada vs Iran: Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/canada/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.