Saudi Arabia vs Iran, Islamic Rep.
Side-by-side economic and demographic comparison · 2026 data · Source: IMF & World Bank
Saudi Arabia and Iran are the Gulf's largest economies and bitter geopolitical rivals. Saudi Arabia's GDP is roughly three times Iran's in nominal terms, a gap dramatically widened by US sanctions on Iran since 2018. Iran's economy has been severely constrained by isolation from the global financial system, hyperinflation, and currency collapse — the rial lost 80%+ of its value. Despite these challenges, Iran has a more diversified manufacturing base and a larger population (88M vs 35M). Saudi Arabia's economy is more oil-concentrated but benefits from massive sovereign wealth (the Public Investment Fund manages $900B+).
Saudi Arabia has a GDP of $1.39T compared to Iran, Islamic Rep.'s $300.29B, making it 4.6x larger. Saudi Arabia's population is 37.0M vs Iran, Islamic Rep.'s 92.4M. Across 12 key indicators, Saudi Arabia leads in 9 categories. All data sourced from the IMF World Economic Outlook and World Bank World Development Indicators.
| Indicator |  Saudi Arabia |  Iran, Islamic Rep. |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $1.39T✓ | $300.29B |
| GDP per Capita | $37,811✓ | $3,415 |
| GDP Growth (%) | 3.1%✓ | -6.1% |
| GDP per Capita (PPP) | $78,815✓ | $20,279 |
| Population | 37.0M | 92.4M✓ |
| Life Expectancy | 79.0 years✓ | 77.9 years |
| Inflation (%) | 2.3%✓ | 68.9% |
| Unemployment (%) | 3.5%✓ | 9.2% |
| Govt Debt (% GDP) | 32.1%✓ | 37.3% |
| Fertility Rate | 2.3✓ | 1.7 |
| Gini Index | N/A | 35.9 |
| CO₂ per Capita (t) | 18.5 | 9.1✓ |
Summary
Saudi Arabia has a GDP of $1.39T compared to Iran, Islamic Rep.'s $300.29B, making the former economy 4.6x larger. In terms of population, Saudi Arabia has 37.0M people while Iran, Islamic Rep. has 92.4M. Across the 12 indicators compared, Saudi Arabia leads in 9 and Iran, Islamic Rep. leads in 2.
Why sources report different numbers
The IMF, World Bank and United Nations each publish these series on their own release schedule. Where their figures differ, the reason is usually visible in the reference year rather than in the methodology.
| Source | Saudi Arabia | Iran, Islamic Rep. |
|---|---|---|
| IMF | $1.39T2026 | $300.29B2026 |
| World Bank | $1.28T2025 | $362.68B2025 |
| United Nations | $1.25T2024 | $448.09B2024 |
These are not the same reference year. IMF publishes 2026 and United Nations publishes 2024 — each is the latest that publisher has released, on its own schedule. A figure for a year still in progress is a projection rather than an outturn. Saudi Arabia spans about 11% across 2 years; Iran, Islamic Rep. spans about 49% across 2 years, wide enough that a rebasing or currency revaluation is likely involved as well.
| Source | Saudi Arabia | Iran, Islamic Rep. |
|---|---|---|
| IMF | $37,8112026 | $3,4152026 |
| World Bank | $34,5372025 | $3,9242025 |
| United Nations | $36,9272024 | $4,8942024 |
These are not the same reference year. IMF publishes 2026 and United Nations publishes 2024 — each is the latest that publisher has released, on its own schedule. A figure for a year still in progress is a projection rather than an outturn. Saudi Arabia spans about 9% across 1 year; Iran, Islamic Rep. spans about 43% across 2 years, wide enough that a rebasing or currency revaluation is likely involved as well.
Figures are reproduced as published by each source, converted to a common unit, with each publisher's own reference year shown. Differences are described, not adjudicated — no source is presented as more correct than another.
Saudi ArabiaIran, Islamic Rep.