List of largest cities of Iran

The most populated cities of Iran in 2010.

Iranian population density map (based on data from the 1996 census).

Iran has one of the highest urban population growth rates in the world. From 1950 to 2002, the urban proportion of the population increased from 27% to 60%. The United Nations predicts that by 2030 80% of the population will live in urban areas. Most internal migrants have settled near the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Ahvaz, and Qom. Tehran, with a population of 8.2 million (2012 census), is the largest city in Iran and is the nation's capital. Tehran is home to around 11% of Iran's population. It is the hub of the country's communication and transport networks.

Mashhad, with a population of 2.4 million, is the second-largest Iranian city and the centre of the province of Razavi Khorasan. Mashhad is one of the holiest Shi'a cities in the world as it is the site of the Imam Reza shrine. It is the centre of tourism in Iran and between 15 and 20 million pilgrims go to Imam Reza's shrine every year.

The third most populous city of Iran is Tabriz (population 2.2 million) and the second-ranking industrial city of Iran after Tehran. Tabriz was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s and one of its former capitals.

The fourth most populous Iranian city is Isfahan, with a population of 1.5 million, which is the capital of Isfahan Province. The growth of the suburban area around the city has turned Isfahan into the fourth most populous metropolitan area with a population of 3.4 million.

The other major cities are Karaj (population 1.3 million), and Shiraz (population 1.2 million). Karaj is the capital of Alborz province and is situated 20 km west of Tehran, at the foot of Alborz mountains; however, the city is increasingly becoming an extension of metropolitan Tehran. Shiraz is considered the heart of Iranian music and culture.

Cities over 100,000 population

1 - Tehran, Tehran Province

2 - Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province

3 - Isfahan, Isfahan Province

4 - Karaj, Alborz Province

5 - Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province

File:Chamran Grand Hotel.jpg

6 - Shiraz, Fars Province

7 - Ahvaz, Khūzestān Province

8 - Qom, Qom Province

9 - Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province

10 - Urmia, West Azarbaijan Province

11 - Rasht, Gilan Province

The following sortable table, lists the most populous cities in Iran with a population of more than 100,000 according to 2011 Census results announced by Statistical Center of Iran:

Rank	City	Province	Date of Official Foundation of Municipality	2011	2006	1996	1986	1976	1966	1956
1	Tehran	Tehran	1907	8,154,051	7,705,036	6,758,845	6,042,584	4,530,223	2,719,730	1,512,082
2	Mashhad	Razavi Khorasan	1917	2,749,374	2,104,697	1,898,060	1,308,482	1,017,976	713,413	439,996
3	Isfahan	Isfahan Province	1928	1,756,126	1,250,800	1,057,405	972,541	716,770	446,416	221,984
4	Karaj	Alborz	1989	1,614,626	2,311,250
5	Tabriz	East Azerbaijan Province	1907	1,484,988	1,427,311	1,153,025	1,848,289	1,425,813	1,069,865	770,659
6	Shiraz	Fars	1925	1,460,665	1,269,843	1,104,980	779,826	534,399	306,375	220,098
7	Ahvaz	Khūzestān Province	1911	1,112,021	977,450	740,968	411,510	97,926	44,243	14,526
8	Qom	Qom	1926	1,074,036	1,151,918	977,677	743,139	347,219	234,292	109,499
9	Kermanshah	Kermanshah	1930	851,405	692,686	560,514	290,600	187,930	125,439
10	Orumieh	West Azarbaijan	1928	667,499	435,200	300,746	164,419	110,749	67,605
11	Rasht	Gīlān	1908	639,951	417,748	290,897	188,957	143,557	109,491
12	Zahedan	Sistan and Baluchestan	1938	560,725	419,518	281,923	93,740	39,732	17,495
13	Kerman	Kermān	1921	534,441	384,991	257,284	140,761	85,404	62,157
14	Arak	Markazi	1927	526,182	380,755	265,349	116,832	61,925	58,998
15	Hamedan	Hamadān	1911	525,794	401,281	272,499	165,875	124,167	99,909
16	Yazd	Yazd	1926	432,194	326,776	230,483	135,925	93,241	63,502
17	Ardabil	Ardabil	1925	418,262	340,386	281,973	147,865	83,596	65,742
18	Bandar Abbas	Hormozgān	1925	367,508
19	Eslamshahr	Tehran	1978	357,171
20	Qazvin	Qazvīn	1924	349,821
21	Zanjan	Zanjan	1923	341,801
22	Khorramabad	Lorestān	1931	328,544
23	Sanandaj	Kurdistan	1928	311,446
24	Gorgan	Golestān	1925	269,226
25	Sari	Māzandarān	1927	259,084
26	Kashan	Isfahan	1930	248,789
27	Babol	Māzandarān	1956	243,636
28	Golestan	Tehran	1996	231,882
29	Shahr-e Qods	Tehran	1989	229,354
30	Malard	Tehran	1995	228,673
31	Dezful	Khūzestān	1920	228,507
32	Borujerd	Lorestān	1935	227,547
33	Khomeinishahr	Isfahan	1932	218,737
34	Abadan	Khūzestān	1924	217,988
35	Varamin	Tehran	1941	208,569
36	Sabzevar	Razavi Khorasan	1936	208,172
37	Najafabad	Isfahan	1931	206,114
38	Nishapur	Razavi Khorasan	1931	205,972
39	Amol	Māzandarān	1933	197,470
40	Shahriar	Tehran	1952	189,120
41	Saveh	Markazi	1931	179,009
42	Khoy	West Azarbaijan	1923	178,708
43	Qa'em Shahr	Māzandarān	1935	174,246
44	Gharchak	Tehran	1976	173,832
45	Bojnourd	North Khorasan	1931	172,772
46	Sirjan	Kermān	1936	167,014
47	Bushehr	Bushehr	1922	161,674
48	Birjand	South Khorasan	1928	157,848
49	Ilam	Īlām	1936	155,289
50	Malayer	Hamadān	1934	153,748
51	Bukan	West Azarbaijan	1948	149,340
52	Maragheh	East Azarbaijan	1921	146,405
53	Rafsanjan	Kermān	1935	136,388
54	Nasimshahr	Tehran	1995	135,824
55	Mahabad	West Azarbaijan	1931	133,324
56	Saqqez	Kurdistan	1935	131,349
57	Zabol	Sistan and Baluchestan	1928	130,642
58	Gonbad-e Qabus	Golestān	1934	127,167
59	Shahrood	Semnān	1925	126,916
60	Shahrekord	Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari	1931	126,746
61	Pakdasht	Tehran	1991	126,281
62	Shahinshahr	Eşfahān	1976	126,070
63	Semnan	Semnān	1925	124,999
64	Khorramshahr	Khūzestān	1925	123,866
65	Marvdasht	Fars	1940	123,858
66	Andimeshk	Khūzestān	1956	119,422
67	Torbat-e Heydarieh	Razavi Khorasan	1928	119,360
68	Bandar-e Anzali	Gīlān	1922	116,664
69	Marand	East Azarbaijan	1929	114,165
70	Miandoab	West Azarbaijan	1935	112,933
71	Mahshahr	Khūzestān	1954	109,687
72	Shahreza	Eşfahān	1929	108,299
73	Masjed Soleyman	Khūzestān	1959	106,121
74	Izeh	Khūzestān	1958	103,695
75	Jahrom	Fars	1925	103,023
76	Dorood	Lorestān	1949	100,528

Largest cities in the provinces

This is a list of the largest cities of the 31 provinces, based on the cities' population as of the 2006 census. (It should be noted that in 2006 Iran had only 30 provinces. The 31st province, Alborz, was split off from Tehran in 2010.)

Province	Largest city	2nd Largest	3rd Largest	4th largest
Tehran	Tehran	Eslamshahr	Golestan	Shahr-e Qods
Razavi Khorasan	Mashhad	Nishapur	Sabzevar	Torbat-e Heydarieh
East Azarbaijan	Tabriz	Maragheh	Marand	Mianeh
Alborz	Karaj	Nazarabad	Savojbolagh	Taleghan
Isfahan	Isfahan	Kashan	Khomeynishahr	Najafabad
Fars	Shiraz	Marvdasht	Jahrom	Fasa
Khuzestan	Ahvaz	Dezful	Abadan	Khorramshahr
Mazandaran	Sari	Babol	Amol	Qa'em Shahr
West Azarbaijan	Urmia	Khoy	Miandoab	Salmas
Kerman	Kerman	Sirjan	Rafsanjan	Jiroft
Gilan	Rasht	Bandar-e Anzali	Lahijan	Langrud
Sistan and Baluchistan	Zahedan	Zabol	Iran Shahr	Chabahar
Kermanshah	Kermanshah	Eslamabad-e Gharb	Harsin	Kangavar
Lorestan	Khorramabad	Borujerd	Dorood	Koohdasht
Hamadan	Hamadan	Malayer	Nahavand	Asadabad
Golestan	Gorgan	Gonbad-e Qabus	Ali Abad	Bandar Torkaman
Kurdistan	Sanandaj	Saghez	Marivan	Baneh
Hormozgan	Bandar Abbas	Minab	Dehbarez	Bandar Lengeh
Markazi	Arak	Saveh	Khomein	Mahallat
Ardabil	Ardabil	Parsabad	Meshkinshahr	Khalkhal
Qazvin	Qazvin	Takestan	Alvand	Eqbaliyeh
Qom	Qom	Jamkaran	Qanavat	Jafariyeh
Yazd	Yazd	Meybod	Ardakan	Bafq
Zanjan	Zanjan	Abhar	Khorramdareh	Qidar
Bushehr	Bushehr	Borazjan	Bandar Ganaveh	Khormuj
Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari	Shahr-e Kord	Borujen	Farrokhshahr	Farsan
North Khorasan	Bojnurd	Shirvan	Esfarayen	Garmeh Jajarm
Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province	Yasuj	Dogonbadan	Dehdasht	Likak
South Khorasan	Birjand	Ghayen	Ferdows	Nehbandan
Semnān	Shahrood	Semnan	Damghan	Garmsar
Ilam	Ilam	Eyvan	Dehloran	Abdanan

See also

• List of cities in Iran
• List of Iranian cities and towns by province