Iran Country Overview
Where is Iran located? The state of Iran is located in western Asia and is one of the most populous and largest in the world. On the time zone map, Iran is located in a world time zone in which the regional time is 3.5 hours ahead of the coordinated world time. This time zone is called “Iran Standard Time” (IRST) and clocks in this time zone are always 3.5 hours later than Universal Time (UTC +3.5). From March 22nd to the end of September the time in Iran will change to “Iran Daylight Time” (IRDT).
Bordering Countries of Iran
According to abbreviationfinder, Iran is situated in the Middle East, bordered by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan to the north; Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east; Turkey and Iraq to the west; and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to its south. Iran has a total land boundary of 4,770 km which includes 936 km with Armenia, 432 km with Azerbaijan, 1,458 km with Turkmenistan, 905 km with Afghanistan, 909 km with Pakistan, 499 km with Turkey and 1,599 km with Iraq.
Iran shares an extensive maritime border with United Arab Emirates in its westernmost point which is formed by a line drawn between Iran’s Qeshm Island and UAE’s Abu Musa Island. The two countries have had close ties for centuries since traders from both sides exchanged goods in coastal areas. Today they continue to strengthen their relationship through joint initiatives such as tourism campaigns and increased bilateral trade agreements.
To Iran’s east lies Afghanistan which borders it on two sides; these borders are formed by rivers such as the Harirud River in Herat province and the Helmand River further south. The two countries have had a tumultuous relationship since 2001 when US forces invaded Afghanistan but have since worked towards strengthening their ties through economic cooperation such as energy deals related to natural gas projects within their shared boundaries.
Iran also shares borders with Iraq on its extreme southwestern tip; this border is formed by a line drawn between Iranian Kurdistan region and Iraqi Kurdistan region. Despite having tense relations at times due to territorial disputes over oil-rich regions of Kirkuk province in Iraq, both countries have been working together for years now on issues such as environmental conservation efforts within their shared waters.
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Iran is 84,923,314, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
| Total population | 84,923,314 |
| Population growth rate | 1.10% |
| Birth rate | 17.90 births per 1,000 people |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall life expectancy | 70.62 years |
| Men life expectancy | 69.09 years |
| Women life expectancy | 72.24 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 24.23% |
| 15-64 years | 70.30% |
| 65 years and above | 5.48% |
| Median age | 28.80 years |
| Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 1.03 |
| Population density | 51.53 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 66.70% |
| Ethnicities | |
| 51% Persians, 24% Azerbaijanis, 8% Gilaki and Mazandarani, 7% Kurds, 3% Arabs, 2% Turkmen, 2% Lurs, 2% Baluch, Armenians and others | |
| Religions | |
| Shiites 89%, Sunnis 10%, Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, and Baha’i 1% | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.797 |
| HDI ranking | 65th out of 194 |
People in Iran
People of different origins live and have lived in Iran. The Medes were the first Iranian people to settle. It was followed by the Arabs, who continued to expand and marry local women. Thracian tribes also immigrated and mostly moved through the country as nomads with their herds of cattle. They mainly chose northern Iran because the conditions for their animals were best here.
Today it is said that 60 to 65 out of 100 Iranians are Persians, who mainly live in the Persian highlands. Then there are the Kurds, after all, every seventh to tenth resident of the country is a Kurd. Others are added, such as the Lurs and Baluch. On the adjacent map you can see the distribution of the different races. However, there are no absolutely reliable figures, as Iran itself does not provide any information.
The average age in Iran is increasing – why is that?
Over a long period of time, Iran’s population increased. In 2011 there were over 75 million residents, while at the beginning of the 20th century only about twelve million lived there. Living conditions in Iran improved. Fewer children died at birth or as toddlers and so the population grew. However, women in Iran have fewer children today than in the past and the average age is therefore increasing. However, the number of residents is still increasing at the moment, it was estimated at 79 million in 2016.
Languages in Iran
With so many people of different origins living in Iran, there are also many languages spoken in the country. Persian is the official language. The language that is spoken in government offices, but also in schools, is Persian.
There is also Arabic. There are also a number of other languages that are related to and sound similar to the Persian language. Many Iranians grow up multilingual. It is also difficult to determine an exact number for the distribution of languages.
Persian and Arabic
Persian belongs to the Indo-European language family and thus differs from Arabic. Both languages do not have a common root. Nevertheless, Persian has incorporated parts of Arabic and the alphabet has also been derived. In Iran, for example, not all people speak Persian, but just under half of the residents, especially the people who live on the Iranian plateau. However, Arabic is the language of the Koran that all Iranians have to learn.
Religions in Iran
Most are Muslims and a large part of them belong to Shiite Islam. A small proportion – four to ten out of 100 – of Iranians are counted among the Sunnis.