Iran Cities by Population 2024

As the world's 18th largest country by area, it's no surprise that the country of Iran has a large population to match the size of its land area. Iran is the world's 17th largest country by population with an estimated population of over 81 million as of 2016. Because its population is so large, of course it would have megacities that contribute to these large figures. The largest city in Tehran, which has a population that exceeds 7 million. Its second largest city, Masshad, has over 2 million inhabitants, falling far behind Tehran but still large when compared to other cities across the country and the entire world. Iran also has four additional cities that have recorded populations of over one million. There are 61 total cities with populations that fall below this milestone but have more than 100,000 inhabitants. There are also 128 major cities with populations that exceed 10,000 people.

Back in 1960, Iran's population was primarily situated in rural areas. However, as cities have developed and grown and more people are moving to urban areas, this number has decreased dramatically over the years. Figures from 2015 show that just over one-quarter of the population -- 27% to be exact -- live in rural areas, with the remainder of the population living in the various urban cities that are spread across a total of 31 provinces.