In everyday Farsi, you typically use از to compare two things, translating to "than." However, in formal writing, news reports, and statistical analysis, you will often see a different structure.
The Formal Comparative: نسبت به
To say "compared to" or "relative to," use the compound preposition نسبت به.
| compared to / relative to | نسبت بهnesbat be |
In analytical texts, this replaces or supplements از to compare data, demographics, or locations. It is placed before the noun or pronoun you are comparing against, often followed by a comparative word like بیشتر (more) or کمتر (less).
| Population density in the capital is greater compared to other cities. | تراکم جمعیت در پایتخت نسبت به شهرهای دیگر بیشتر است.tarâkom-e jam'iyyat dar pâytakht nesbat be shahrhâ-ye digar bishtar ast. |
| Housing concentration in commercial areas is greater compared to suburbs. | تمرکز مسکن در منطقههای تجاری نسبت به حومهها بیشتر است.tamarkoz-e maskan dar mantaqe-hâ-ye tejâri nesbat be hume-hâ bishtar ast. |
Comparing Across Time
When analyzing trends—such as urbanization or economic shifts—نسبت به is frequently paired with time references like گذشته (the past) or قبل (before).
| Compared to the past, the increase in urbanization in this decade has a faster pace. | افزایش شهرنشینی در این دهه نسبت به گذشته شتاب بیشتری دارد.afzâyeshe shahrneshini dar in dahe nesbat be gozashte shetâbe bishtari dârad. |
Unlike از, which usually stays close to the comparative adjective, نسبت به is quite flexible. You can place the entire phrase at the very beginning of the sentence to establish the context of the comparison immediately.
| Compared to before, uncontrolled urbanization has caused an increase in slum-dwelling. | نسبت به قبل، شهرنشینی بیرویه باعث افزایش حاشیهنشینی شده است.nesbat be qabl, shahr-neshini-ye bi-raviye bâ'es afzâyesh-e hâshiye-neshini shode ast. |
| Last year, the per capita budget of migrants became less compared to before. | سال گذشته، بودجهی سرانهی مهاجرها نسبت به قبل کمتر شد.sâl-e gozashte, budje-ye sarâne-ye mohâjerhâ nesbat be qabl kamtar shod. |
