Iran population pyramid 2026
93,168,497 people in 2026 (projected). Iran’s pyramid carries a pronounced bulge at ages 35–44, the 1980s baby boom, sitting above a pinched band of adults born after the rapid fertility fall.
- 2026 population
- 93.2Mrank 17 of 237
- Median age
- 34.5 yearsoldest rank 111
- Fertility rate
- 1.66births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Transitional8.9% age 65+
Iran population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Iran age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 21.6% of the population, while 8.9% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 69.5% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Iran’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 43.9: about 44 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (31.0 children and 12.9 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Iran’s population pyramid
The 1980s boom and the fastest fertility fall
The most striking feature of Iran’s 2026 pyramid is the bulge at ages 35–39 and 40–44, each holding close to 5% of the population per sex. These are people born in 1982–91. Fertility was still above six children per woman around 1980, and births stayed very high through the decade following the 1979 revolution and during the war with Iraq.
From the late 1980s the government revived its national family planning program, and fertility then fell faster than in almost any other country on record: from roughly five children per woman in 1990 to about two by 2000. The pyramid records this directly. The bands at 20–24 and 25–29, people born in 1997–2006, are about a third narrower than the boom bands above them, giving the chart a distinct waist. The 2000 Iran pyramid shows the moment of the break, when the youngest children were barely half as numerous as the 10–14-year-olds.
An echo, then a narrowing base
Below the waist the pyramid widens again at 5–9 and 10–14, the children born in 2012–21. This is an echo: fertility stayed low, but the large 1980s cohorts were in their peak childbearing years, so the number of births rose. Since the early 2010s Iranian policy has also turned pro-natalist, though how much this has influenced births is debated. The 0–4 band is already narrower than the echo above it, as the boom generation moves past its main reproductive ages. The pattern is a clear illustration of population momentum, and the Turkey and Iran comparison shows how a gradual decline in Turkey produced a smoother column instead.
The bulge will keep moving upward. By 2050 it reaches ages 60–64, and the UN medium scenario projects Iran’s population at about 102 million and close to its peak, with a median age of about 43.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40–44 | 1982–1986 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +12% |
| 10–14 | 2012–2016 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +11% |
Births outnumber deaths in 2026; the medium scenario projects deaths to exceed births from 2054. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2045.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Iran is projected to record 1,101,751 births (about one birth every 29 seconds) and 460,929 deaths, a natural increase of 640,822. Net migration adds +66,848 people, ranking #78 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 31,115,723 births, 9,210,978 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +3,307,024. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −691,558 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 80.2 years37.4 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 76.4 years38.9 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 17.9 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 8.5per 1,000 births · 202 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 10.1per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 28.9 yearssex ratio at birth 105.1
Women in Iran are projected to live 3.8 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 202 to 8.5 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #129 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 28.9 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Iran
The median age of 34.5 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.66 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 78.2 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 93,168,497 | #17 | Largest first |
| Median age | 34.5 years | #111 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.66 | #141 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +0.8% | #116 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 78.2 years | #83 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 8.9% | #127 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Iran
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40–44 | 8,926,077 | 9.6% | 4.5M / 4.4M |
| 2 | 35–39 | 8,833,047 | 9.5% | 4.5M / 4.3M |
| 3 | 10–14 | 7,455,695 | 8.0% | 3.8M / 3.6M |
| 4 | 45–49 | 7,120,046 | 7.6% | 3.6M / 3.5M |
| 5 | 30–34 | 7,107,524 | 7.6% | 3.6M / 3.5M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Iran has 47,311,566 males and 45,856,932 females. That is 103.2 males per 100 females, ranking #34 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.8% of the population and females for 49.2%. There are 1,454,634 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 94.3 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.1 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Iran has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 16,510,553 in 1950 to 93,168,497 in 2026, a change of 464%. Over the same span, median age moved from 20.6 to 34.5 years.
The under-15 share changed from 36.8% to 21.6%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 5.2% to 8.9%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the Iran population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Iran’s population is projected to grow by about 9%, reaching 101,861,993 in 2050. The median age changes from 34.5 to 43.5 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 13.5 percentage points to 22.4%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 15.1%. The Iran population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest projected population of 101,996,363 in 2053. That turning point depends on the medium scenario and may move in later revisions. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 16,510,553 | 20.6 | 6.97 | 38.2 | 838,122 | 471,918 | +39,049 | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 21,470,434 | 18.0 | 7.52 | 43.3 | 1,094,794 | 510,743 | +54,041 | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 29,145,100 | 16.5 | 6.80 | 50.2 | 1,270,418 | 475,790 | +89,757 | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 39,842,324 | 17.2 | 6.63 | 58.4 | 1,798,585 | 437,290 | +103,674 | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 58,380,092 | 17.1 | 4.93 | 64.1 | 1,953,743 | 423,311 | +200,711 | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 66,418,659 | 20.2 | 2.00 | 70.2 | 1,060,427 | 329,230 | +300,133 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 77,420,842 | 26.1 | 1.75 | 74.4 | 1,337,544 | 357,130 | −12,849 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 87,723,443 | 31.3 | 1.70 | 74.1 | 1,228,854 | 564,816 | −180,680 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 90,608,707 | 32.9 | 1.70 | 77.7 | 1,173,463 | 423,367 | +262,044 | +1.1% |
| 2024* | 91,567,738 | 33.4 | 1.68 | 77.9 | 1,151,057 | 435,287 | +190,156 | +1.0% |
| 2026* | 93,168,497 | 34.5 | 1.66 | 78.2 | 1,101,751 | 460,929 | +66,848 | +0.8% |
| 2030* | 95,486,667 | 36.7 | 1.63 | 79.0 | 1,037,833 | 516,157 | −38,565 | +0.5% |
| 2040* | 99,524,277 | 40.8 | 1.63 | 81.0 | 1,049,209 | 676,894 | −35,646 | +0.3% |
| 2050* | 101,861,993 | 43.5 | 1.63 | 82.7 | 985,602 | 855,975 | −31,191 | +0.1% |
| 2060* | 100,970,579 | 46.5 | 1.63 | 84.3 | 834,245 | 1,080,886 | −31,423 | -0.3% |
| 2070* | 96,707,311 | 49.7 | 1.64 | 85.8 | 795,286 | 1,307,513 | −30,555 | -0.6% |
| 2080* | 90,843,859 | 50.3 | 1.63 | 87.0 | 753,829 | 1,322,810 | −27,358 | -0.7% |
| 2090* | 85,248,590 | 50.6 | 1.63 | 88.2 | 662,495 | 1,159,935 | −24,545 | -0.6% |
| 2100* | 80,045,291 | 51.9 | 1.64 | 89.3 | 613,421 | 1,127,377 | −24,436 | -0.7% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 2,966,640 | 2,823,411 | 5,790,051 | 6.2% |
| 5–9 | 3,515,573 | 3,334,004 | 6,849,577 | 7.4% |
| 10–14 | 3,839,256 | 3,616,439 | 7,455,695 | 8.0% |
| 15–19 | 3,401,296 | 3,221,955 | 6,623,251 | 7.1% |
| 20–24 | 3,041,367 | 2,905,169 | 5,946,536 | 6.4% |
| 25–29 | 3,029,826 | 2,918,341 | 5,948,167 | 6.4% |
| 30–34 | 3,615,098 | 3,492,426 | 7,107,524 | 7.6% |
| 35–39 | 4,492,454 | 4,340,593 | 8,833,047 | 9.5% |
| 40–44 | 4,536,431 | 4,389,646 | 8,926,077 | 9.6% |
| 45–49 | 3,630,473 | 3,489,573 | 7,120,046 | 7.6% |
| 50–54 | 2,872,141 | 2,745,524 | 5,617,665 | 6.0% |
| 55–59 | 2,419,247 | 2,368,711 | 4,787,958 | 5.1% |
| 60–64 | 1,908,132 | 1,921,637 | 3,829,769 | 4.1% |
| 65–69 | 1,557,076 | 1,588,648 | 3,145,724 | 3.4% |
| 70–74 | 1,187,223 | 1,205,932 | 2,393,155 | 2.6% |
| 75–79 | 777,038 | 808,501 | 1,585,539 | 1.7% |
| 80–84 | 357,241 | 425,089 | 782,330 | 0.8% |
| 85–89 | 133,643 | 195,160 | 328,803 | 0.4% |
| 90–94 | 28,421 | 57,385 | 85,806 | 0.1% |
| 95–99 | 2,874 | 8,286 | 11,160 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 118 | 500 | 618 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Iran’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Western Sahara96% overlap · median age 32.8
- Vietnam96% overlap · median age 33.9
- Tunisia95% overlap · median age 33.4
- Azerbaijan95% overlap · median age 34.1
- Brunei95% overlap · median age 33.2
- Seychelles95% overlap · median age 34.6
Compare Iran with other countries
Side-by-side pages put two pyramids on the same percentage scale, with a full indicator table and the projected change to 2050.
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Iran.
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Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Iran Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/iran/
MLA
“Iran Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/iran/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Iran Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/iran/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Iran in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Iran's population in 2026 is projected at 93,168,497.
What is the median age in Iran?
The projected median age in Iran in 2026 is 34.5 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Iran?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.66 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Iran's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 9%, from 93.2M to 101.9M.
What share of Iran is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 8.9% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 22.4%.
How many babies are born in Iran each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 1,101,751 births and 460,929 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 29 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 640,822.
What is life expectancy in Iran for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 80.2 years for women and 76.4 years for men, a gap of 3.8 years in favour of women.
Does Iran have more immigrants or emigrants?
Iran is projected to gain about 66,848 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +3,307,024.
What is the sex ratio in Iran?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 103.2 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.