Iran vs Sri Lanka: Population in the largest city (% of urban population)
Iran
13.6%
in 2025
Sri Lanka
14.6%
in 2025
Iran rank
138th
Sri Lanka rank
136th
Population in the largest city (% of urban population) over time
- Iran
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 14.6% against 13.6% in Iran, a difference of 1.0%.
That makes Sri Lanka's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
Iran ranks 138th and Sri Lanka ranks 136th of 153 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 3 and Sri Lanka in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.7% | 24.6% | 2.0% | Iran |
| 1970s | 27.1% | 19.2% | 8.0% | Iran |
| 1980s | 22.4% | 19.0% | 3.4% | Iran |
| 1990s | 18.0% | 22.2% | 4.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 20.2% | 4.4% | Sri Lanka |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 14.8% | 0.6% | Sri Lanka |
| 2020s | 13.7% | 14.3% | 0.6% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in the largest city, Iran or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 14.6% against 13.6% in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in the largest city between Iran and Sri Lanka?
- 1.0%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Sri Lanka?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Iran and Sri Lanka rank globally for population in the largest city?
- Iran ranks 138th and Sri Lanka ranks 136th of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.