Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Iran
Iran: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 22.00 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Iran, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Iran is 22.00 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Iran peaked at 22.00 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.20 million people, in 1950.
That places Iran 16th out of 182 countries with data for 2020, 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.36 million people | 1.20 million people | 1.52 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 2.29 million people | 1.99 million people | 2.59 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 5.01 million people | 4.42 million people | 5.59 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 9.30 million people | 7.83 million people | 10.78 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 13.18 million people | 12.44 million people | 13.92 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.84 million people | 15.73 million people | 17.96 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.00 million people | 19.76 million people | 20.24 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 22.00 million people | 22.00 million people | 22.00 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.0713 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.08 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.2419 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.27 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 1.14 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 4,030 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Iran?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Iran was 22.00 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 22.00 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.20 million people in 1950.
- How does Iran rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Iran ranks 16th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.