Iran has one of the highest urban population growth rates in the islamic country in the world. From year 1950 to 2002, the urban population increased from 27% to 60% in entire country. The United Nations (UN) predicts that by 2030 80% of the population will live in urban areas instead of rural area. Most internal migrants have settled near the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Ahvaz, Mashhad and Qom. Tehran national capital, with a population of 8.7 million in 2016, is the largest city in Iran. Tehran is home to around 11% of Iran’s population. It is the hub of Iran’s communication and transport networks.

Cities of Iran over 100,000 population

Rank	City	Province	Date of Foundation	2016 Census	2011 Census	Change
1	Tehran	Tehran	1907	86,93,706	81,54,051	6.62%
2	Mashhad	Razavi Khorasan	1918	30,01,184	27,49,374	9.16%
3	Isfahan	Isfahan	1907	19,61,260	17,56,126	11.68%
4	Karaj	Alborz	1951	15,92,492	16,14,626	−1.37%
5	Shiraz	Fars	1907	15,65,572	14,60,665	7.18%
6	Tabriz	East Azerbaijan	1907	15,58,693	14,94,988	4.26%
7	Qom	Qom	1926	12,01,158	10,74,036	11.84%
8	Ahvaz	Khuzestan	1925	11,84,788	11,12,021	6.54%
9	Kermanshah	Kermanshah	1912	9,46,651	8,51,405	11.19%
10	Urmia	West Azerbaijan	1928	7,36,224	6,67,499	10.30%
11	Rasht	Gilan	1907	6,79,995	6,39,951	6.26%
12	Zahedan	Sistan and Baluchestan	1938	5,87,730	5,60,725	4.82%
13	Hamadan	Hamadan	1911	5,54,406	5,25,794	5.44%
14	Kerman	Kerman	1907	5,37,718	5,34,441	0.61%
15	Yazd	Yazd	1926	5,29,673	4,86,152	8.95%
16	Ardabil	Ardabil	1925	5,29,374	4,82,632	9.68%
17	Bandar Abbas	Hormozgan	1925	5,26,648	4,35,751	20.86%
18	Arak	Markazi	1927	5,20,944	5,26,182	−1.00%
19	Eslamshahr	Tehran	1978	4,48,129	3,89,102	15.17%
20	Zanjan	Zanjan	1923	4,30,871	3,86,851	11.38%
21	Sanandaj	Kurdistan	1928	4,12,767	3,73,987	10.37%
22	Qazvin	Qazvin	1924	4,02,748	3,81,598	5.54%
23	Khorramabad	Lorestan	1931	3,73,416	3,48,216	7.24%
24	Gorgan	Golestan	1925	3,50,676	3,29,536	6.42%
25	Sari	Mazandaran	1927	3,47,402	2,96,417	17.20%
26	Shahriar	Tehran	1952	3,09,607	2,49,473	24.10%
27	Qods	Tehran	1989	3,09,605	2,83,517	9.20%
28	Kashan	Isfahan	1930	3,04,487	2,75,325	10.59%
29	Malard	Tehran	1995	2,81,027	2,90,817	−3.37%
30	Dezful	Khuzestan	1920	2,64,709	2,48,380	6.57%
31	Nishapur	Razavi Khorasan	1931	2,64,375	2,39,185	10.53%
32	Babol	Mazandaran	1925	2,50,217	2,19,467	14.01%
33	Khomeyni Shahr	Isfahan	1932	2,47,128	2,44,696	0.99%
34	Sabzevar	Razavi Khorasan	1930	2,43,700	2,31,557	5.24%
35	Golestan	Tehran	1996	2,39,556	2,59,480	−7.68%
36	Amol	Mazandaran	1933	2,37,528	2,19,915	8.01%
37	Pakdasht	Tehran	1991	2,36,319	2,06,490	14.45%
38	Najafabad	Isfahan	1931	2,35,281	2,21,814	6.07%
39	Borujerd	Lorestan	1935	2,34,997	2,40,654	−2.35%
40	Abadan	Khuzestan	1924	2,31,476	2,12,744	8.80%
41	Qarchak	Tehran	1976	2,31,075	1,91,588	20.61%
42	Bojnord	North Khorasan	1931	2,28,931	1,99,791	14.59%
43	Varamin	Tehran	1941	2,25,628	2,18,991	3.03%
44	Bushehr	Bushehr	1922	2,23,504	1,95,222	14.49%
45	Saveh	Markazi	1931	2,20,762	2,00,481	10.12%
46	Qaem Shahr	Mazandaran	1935	2,04,953	1,96,050	4.54%
47	Birjand	South Khorasan	1928	2,03,636	1,78,020	14.39%
48	Nasimshahr	Tehran	1995	2,00,393	1,57,474	27.25%
49	Sirjan	Kerman	1936	1,99,704	1,85,623	7.59%
50	Khoy	West Azerbaijan	1923	1,98,845	2,00,958	−1.05%
51	Ilam	Ilam	1936	1,94,030	1,72,213	12.67%
52	Bukan	West Azerbaijan	1948	1,93,501	1,70,600	13.42%
53	Shahr-e Kord	Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari	1931	1,90,441	1,59,775	19.19%
54	Semnan	Semnan	1925	1,85,129	1,53,680	20.46%
55	Fardis	Alborz	2013	1,81,174	1,81,174	0.00%
56	Maragheh	East Azerbaijan	1921	1,75,255	1,62,275	8.00%
57	Shahin Shahr	Isfahan	1976	1,73,329	1,43,308	20.95%
58	Malayer	Hamadan	1934	1,70,237	1,59,848	6.50%
59	Mahabad	West Azerbaijan	1931	1,68,393	1,47,268	14.34%
60	Saqqez	Kurdistan	1935	1,65,258	1,39,738	18.26%
61	Bandar-e Mahshahr	Khuzestan	1954	1,62,797	1,53,778	5.86%
62	Rafsanjan	Kerman	1935	1,61,909	1,51,420	6.93%
63	Gonbad-e Kavus	Golestan	1934	1,51,910	1,44,546	5.09%
64	Shahrud	Semnan	1925	1,50,129	1,40,474	6.87%
65	Marvdasht	Fars	1950	1,48,858	1,38,649	7.36%
66	Kamal Shahr	Alborz	1996	1,41,669	1,09,943	28.86%
67	Jahrom	Fars	1925	1,41,634	1,14,108	24.12%
68	Torbat-e Heydarieh	Razavi Khorasan	1928	1,40,019	1,31,150	6.76%
69	Marivan	Kurdistan	1957	1,36,654	1,10,464	23.71%
70	Andimeshk	Khuzestan	1956	1,35,116	1,26,811	6.55%
71	Shahreza	Isfahan	1929	1,34,952	1,23,767	9.04%
72	Zabol	Sistan and Baluchestan	1928	1,34,950	1,37,722	−2.01%
73	Yasuj	Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad	1970	1,34,532	1,08,505	23.99%
74	Miandoab	West Azerbaijan	1935	1,34,425	1,23,081	9.22%
75	Khorramshahr	Khuzestan	1925	1,33,097	1,29,418	2.84%
76	Marand	East Azerbaijan	1929	1,30,825	1,24,323	5.23%
77	Jiroft	Kerman	1946	1,30,429	1,11,034	17.47%
78	Bam	Kerman	1937	1,27,396	1,07,131	18.92%
79	Behbahan	Khuzestan	1937	1,22,604	1,07,412	14.14%
80	Dorud	Lorestan	1949	1,21,638	99,499	22.25%
81	Nazarabad	Alborz	2002	1,19,512	1,07,806	10.86%
82	Mohammadshahr	Alborz	1996	1,19,418	1,00,519	18.80%
83	Izeh	Khuzestan	1958	1,19,399	1,17,093	1.97%
84	Bandar-e Anzali	Gilan	1922	1,18,564	1,16,664	1.63%
85	Andisheh	Tehran	2003	1,16,062	96,807	19.89%
86	Iranshahr	Sistan and Baluchestan	1940	1,13,750	97,012	17.25%
87	Fasa	Fars	1926	1,10,825	1,04,809	5.74%
88	Borazjan	Bushehr	1928	1,10,567	95,449	15.84%
89	Baneh	Kurdistan	1948	1,10,218	85,190	29.38%
90	Chabahar	Sistan and Baluchestan	1950	1,06,739	85,633	24.65%
91	Robat Karim	Tehran	1983	1,05,393	78,097	34.95%
92	Kashmar	Razavi Khorasan	1929	1,02,282	90,200	13.39%
93	Shushtar	Khuzestan	1927	1,01,878	1,06,815	−4.62%
94	Quchan	Razavi Khorasan	1937	1,01,604	1,03,760	−2.08%
95	Lahijan	Gilan	1928	1,01,073	94,051	7.47%
96	Ahar	East Azerbaijan	1944	1,00,641	92,608	8.67%
97	Masjed Soleyman	Khuzestan	1959	1,00,497	1,03,369	−2.78%
98	Torbat-e Jam	Razavi Khorasan	1933	1,00,449	94,758	6.01%