Iran
Iran⌘K
Overview
- Background
- Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a religious scholar known as the Supreme Leader, who is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts -- an elected 88-member body of clerics. US-Iran relations became strained when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held embassy personnel hostage until mid-January 1981. The US cut off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980. From 1980 to 1988, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984.
After the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad KHATAMI as president in 1997 and a reformist Majles (legislature) in 2000, a political reform campaign in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated, but conservative politicians blocked reform measures while increasing repression. Municipal and legislative elections in 2003 and 2004 saw conservatives reestablish control over Iran's elected government institutions, culminating in the 2005 inauguration of hardliner Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD as president. His reelection in 2009 sparked nationwide protests over allegations of electoral fraud, and the protests persisted until 2011. In 2013, Iranians elected to the presidency centrist cleric Dr. Hasan Fereidun RUHANI, a longtime senior regime member who promised to reform society and foreign policy. In 2019, Tehran's sudden decision to increase the gasoline price sparked nationwide protests, which the regime violently suppressed. Conservatives won the majority in Majles elections in 2020, and hardline cleric Ebrahim RAISI was elected president in 2021, resulting in a conservative monopoly across the regime's elected and unelected institutions.
Iran continues to be subject to a range of international sanctions and export controls because of its involvement in terrorism, weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and concerns over the nature of its nuclear program. Iran received nuclear-related sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action's (JCPOA) Implementation Day beginning in 2016. However, the US reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on Iran after it unilaterally terminated its JCPOA participation in 2018. In October 2023, the EU and the UK also decided to maintain nuclear-proliferation-related measures on Iran, as well as arms and missile embargoes, in response to Iran's non-compliance with its JCPOA commitments.
As president, RAISI has concentrated on deepening Iran's foreign relations with anti-US states -- particularly China and Russia -- to weather US sanctions and diplomatic pressure, while supporting negotiations to restore a nuclear deal that began in 2021. RAISI contended with nationwide protests that began in September 2022 and persisted for over three months after the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa AMINI, in morality police custody. Young people and women led the protests, and demands focused on regime change.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 1,531,595 sq km
- Water
- 116,600 sq km
- Total
- 1,648,195 sq km
- Climate
- mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
- Terrain
- rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Land Use
- Other
- 64.4% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 6.6% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 29% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 9.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 18.2% (2023 est.)
- Location
- Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan
- Coastline
- 2,440 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Caspian Sea -28 m
- Highest point
- Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m
- Mean elevation
- 1,305 m
- Irrigated land
- 79,721 sq km (2020)
- Map references
- Middle East
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 5,894 km
- Border countries
- Afghanistan 921 km; Armenia 44 km; Azerbaijan 689 km; Iraq 1,599 km; Pakistan 959 km; Turkey 534 km; Turkmenistan 1,148 km
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Continental shelf
- natural prolongation
- Exclusive economic zone
- bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf
- Natural hazards
- periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes
- Geography note
- strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz
- Natural resources
- petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
- Area comparative
- almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska
- Geographic coordinates
- 32 00 N, 53 00 E
- Population distribution
- population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast, dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density
Major Lakes (Area Sq Km)
- Salt water lake(s)
- Caspian Sea (shared with Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan) - 374,000 sq km; Lake Urmia - 5,200 sq km; Lake Namak - 750 sq km
Major Watersheds (Area Sq Km)
- Indian ocean drainage
- (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)
- Major rivers (BY length in km)
- Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km; Helmand (shared with Afghanistan [s]) - 1,130 km
note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
People & Society
Literacy
- Male
- 90% (2016 est.)
- Female
- 81% (2016 est.)
- Total population
- 86% (2016 est.)
Languages
- Languages
- Persian Farsi (official), Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic
- Major language sample(s)
چکیده نامه جهان، منبعی ضروری برای کسب اطلاعات کلی جهان (Persian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
- Religions
- Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.)
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 0.87 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 11.24 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 33.6 years
- Total
- 35.2 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 34.1 years
Population
- Male
- 45,098,223
- Total
- 89,177,357 (2025 est.)
- Female
- 44,079,134
Nationality
- Noun
- Iranian(s)
- Adjective
- Iranian
Tobacco Use
- Male
- 23.8% (2025 est.)
- Total
- 13.3% (2025 est.)
- Female
- 2.8% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 77.3% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age Structure
- 0 14 years
- 23.3% (male 10,512,797/female 10,040,282)
- 15 64 years
- 69.8% (male 31,413,125/female 30,267,241)
- 65 years and over
- 7% (2024 est.) (male 2,869,617/female 3,283,875)
- Ethnic groups
- Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 42.8 (2025 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 30.4 (2025 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 8.1 (2025 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 12.4 (2025 est.)
- Physician density
- 1.81 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health Expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 5.8% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 19% of national budget (2022 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -15.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Hospital bed density
- 1.9 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 1.53 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: rural
- rural: 94.4% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 97.7% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 98.7% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 5.6% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 2.3% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)
Education Expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP)
- 2.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Education expenditure (% national budget)
- 18.8% national budget (2022 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- -0.87% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 0.74 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast, dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 74.3 years
- Female
- 77.1 years
- Total population
- 75.6 years (2024 est.)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- 16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
- Beer
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Wine
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Total
- 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Spirits
- 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Other alcohols
- 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023)
- Obesity adult prevalence rate
- 25.8% (2016)
- Currently married women (ages 15 49)
- 69.6% (2022 est.)
- Children under the age of 5 years underweight
- 4.3% (2017 est.)
School Life Expectancy (Primary to Tertiary Education)
- Male
- 14 years (2020 est.)
- Total
- 14 years (2020 est.)
- Female
- 14 years (2020 est.)
Government
Civica · structure
How power is organised
ExecutiveLegislative
- Flag
- description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; centered in the white band is the red national emblem, a stylization of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip (a symbol of martyrdom); ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band
meaning: green is the color of Islam and also represents growth, white stands for honesty and peace, and red for bravery and martyrdom
Capital
- Name
- Tehran
- Etymology
- the name probably means "flat" or "lower," referring to its location in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains
- Time difference
- UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC)
- Daylight saving time
- does not observe daylight savings time
- Geographic coordinates
- 35 42 N, 51 25 E
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
- Citizenship BY birth
- no
- Citizenship BY descent only
- the father must be a citizen of Iran
- Dual citizenship recognized
- no
- Residency requirement for naturalization
- 5 years
Constitution
- History
- previous 1906; latest adopted 24 October 1979, effective 3 December 1979
- Amendment process
- proposed by the supreme leader – after consultation with the Exigency Council – and submitted as an edict to the "Council for Revision of the Constitution," a body consisting of various executive, legislative, judicial, and academic leaders and members; passage requires absolute majority vote in a referendum and approval of the supreme leader; articles including Iran’s political system, its religious basis, and its form of government cannot be amended
Country Name
- Former
- Persia
- Etymology
- the name derives from the Sanskrit word arya, referring to people living in a mountainous land, from the root word ar-, or "mountain;" the former name, Persia, was originally "Pars" (or the Arabic-influenced variant "Fars") from the Old Persian parsi, meaning "pure"
- Local long form
- Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran
- Local short form
- Iran
- Conventional long form
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- Conventional short form
- Iran
- Independence
- 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed); notable earlier dates: ca. 550 B.C. (Achaemenid or Persian Empire established); A.D. 1501 (Iran reunified under the Safavid dynasty); 1794 (beginning of Qajar dynasty); 12 December 1925 (modern Iran established under the PAHLAVI dynasty)
- Legal system
- religious system based on secular and Islamic law
- Government type
- theocratic republic
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and organized into 42 two-bench branches, each with a justice and a judge)
- Subordinate courts
- Penal Courts I and II; Islamic Revolutionary Courts; Courts of Peace; Special Clerical Court (functions outside the judicial system and handles cases involving clerics); military courts
- Judge selection and term of office
- Supreme Court president appointed by the head of the High Judicial Council (HJC), a 5-member body to include the Supreme Court chief justice, the prosecutor general, and 3 clergy, in consultation with judges of the Supreme Court; president appointed for a single, renewable 5-year term; other judges appointed by the HJC; judge tenure NA
Executive Branch
- Note
- note: presidential election held early due to the death of President Ebrahim RAISI in a helicopter accident in May 2024
- Cabinet
- Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the supreme leader has some control over appointments to several ministries
- Chief of state
- Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
- Election results
2024: first round results - Masoud PEZESHKIAN (independent) 44.4%, Saeed JALILI (Front of Islamic Revolution Stability) 40.4%, Mohammad Baqer QAKIBAF (Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran) 14.3%, other 0.9%; second round results - Masoud PEZESHKIAN elected; Masoud PEZESHKIAN 54.8%, Saeed JALILI 45.2%
2021: Ebrahim RAISI elected president; percent of vote - Ebrahim RAISI (independent) 72.4%, Mohsen REZAI (RFII) 13.8%, Abbdolnaser HEMATI (ECP) 9.8%, Amir-Hosein Qazizadeh-HASHEMI (Islamic Law Party) 4%- Head of government
- President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024)
- Most recent election date
- 28 June 2024, with runoff held on 5 July 2024
- Election/appointment process
- supreme leader appointed for life by Assembly of Experts; president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term and an additional nonconsecutive term)
- National holiday
- Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
- National color(s)
- green, white, red
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 29 (27 cultural, 2 natural)
- Selected world heritage site locales
- Persepolis (c); Tchogha Zanbil (c); Bam and its Cultural Landscape (c); Golestan Palace (c); Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System (c); Pasargadae (c); Hyrcanian Forests (n); Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex (c); Meidan Emam, Esfahan (c); Bisotun (c); Takht-e Soleyman (c); Soltaniyeh(c); Bisotun (c); Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran(c); Sheikh Safi al-din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil (c); The Persian Garden (c); Gonbad-e Qābus (c); Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan (c); Shahr-i Sokhta (c); Cultural Landscape of Maymand (c); Susa (c); Lut Desert (n);The Persian Qanat (c); Historic City of Yazd (c); Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region (c); Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat (c); Trans-Iranian Railway (c); The Persian Caravanserai (c); Hegmataneh (c); Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (c)
- Political parties
- Combatant Clergy Association (an active political group)
Executives of Construction Party
Front of Islamic Revolutionary Stability
Islamic Coalition Party
Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran
Militant Clerics Society (Majma-e Ruhaniyoun-e Mobarez) or MRM
Moderation and Development Party
National Trust Party (Hezb-e E'temad-eMelli) or HEM
Progress and Justice Society
Union of Islamic Iran People's Party (Hezb-e Ettehad-e Iran-e Eslami)
Legislative Branch
- Note
- note: all candidates to the Majles must be approved by the Council of Guardians, a 12-member group of which 6 are appointed by the supreme leader and 6 are jurists nominated by the judiciary and elected by the Majles
- Term in office
- 4 years
- Number of seats
- 290 (all directly elected)
- Electoral system
- plurality/majority
- Legislature name
- Islamic Parliament of Iran (Majles Shoraye Eslami)
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Legislative structure
- unicameral
- Most recent election date
- 3/1/2024 to 5/10/2024
- Expected date of next election
- February 2028
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 4.9%
National Anthem(s)
- Note
- note: a recording of the current Iranian national anthem is unavailable because the US Navy Band does not record anthems for countries from which the US does not anticipate official visits; the US does not have diplomatic relations with Iran
- Title
- "Soroud-e Melli-ye Jomhouri-ye Eslami-ye Iran" (National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
- History
- adopted 1990
- Lyrics/music
- multiple authors/Hassan RIAHI
- National symbol(s)
- lion
- Administrative divisions
- 31 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Razavi (Razavi Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- none
note: Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Embassy of Pakistan, 1250 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073; email: requests@daftar.org; info@daftarwashington.com; website: https://daftar.org/
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Embassy
- none; the US Interests Section is located in the Embassy of Switzerland; US Foreign Interests Section, Embassy of Switzerland, Pasdaran, Shahid Mousavi Street (Golestan 5th), Corner of Paydarfard Street, No. 55, Tehran
- International organisations
- BRICS, CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, SAARC (observer), SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
- International law organization participation
- has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Legislature
IRAN · LEGISLATURE
Islamic Parliament of Iran
290 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
290
Majority line
146
Largest party
Iranian principlists
Parties
33
All political parties
Leaders
Current
Mojtaba Khamenei
- Head of State
Masoud Pezeshkian
- Head of Government
Economy
Budget
- Revenues
- $60.714 billion (2019 est.)
- Expenditures
- $90.238 billion (2019 est.)
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $111.9B
- Note
- note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2022
- $105.752 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $97.924 billion (2023 est.)
- Exports 2024
- $100.031 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $135.5B
- Note
- note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2022
- $97.729 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $113.21 billion (2023 est.)
- Imports 2024
- $117.176 billion (2024 est.)
- Industries
- petroleum, petrochemicals, gas, fertilizer, caustic soda, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and nonferrous metal fabrication, armaments
- Labor force
- 28.575 million (2024 est.)
Public Debt
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 39.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
- Note
- note: includes publicly guaranteed debt
- Public debt 2017
- 39.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2021
- 0% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Remittances 2022
- 0% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 0% of GDP (2023 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2019
- 42,000 (2019 est.)
- Exchange rates 2020
- 42,000 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 42,000 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 42,000 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 42,000 (2023 est.)
Debt External
- Note
- note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
- Debt external 2023
- $6.759 billion (2023 est.)
- Economic overview
- traditionally state-controlled economy but reforming state-owned financial entities; strong oil/gas, agricultural, and service sectors; recent massive inflation due to exchange rate depreciation, international sanctions, and investor uncertainty; increasing poverty
Unemployment Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 8.3%
- Note
- note: % of labor force seeking employment
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 9.1% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 9.1% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 9.2% (2024 est.)
- Exports partners
- China 35%, Turkey 16%, India 8%, Pakistan 7%, Armenia 5% (2023)
- Imports partners
- China 34%, UAE 20%, Turkey 11%, Brazil 8%, Germany 4% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $19,874
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $15,300 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $15,900 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $16,200 (2024 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 3.7%
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 3.8% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 5% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- 3% (2024 est.)
- Agricultural products
- wheat, sugarcane, milk, sugar beets, rice, tomatoes, barley, potatoes, oranges, apples (2023)
- Exports commodities
- plastics, iron ore, alcohols, natural gas, refined copper (2023)
- Imports commodities
- broadcasting equipment, vehicle parts/accessories, corn, soybeans, vehicle bodies (2023)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $436.906 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 50.5% (2024 est.)
- Government consumption
- 12.9% (2024 est.)
- Investment in inventories
- 13.3% (2024 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 26.7% (2024 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 22.9% (2024 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -26.8% (2024 est.)
Average Household Expenditures
- On food
- 27.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
- On alcohol and tobacco
- 0.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 32.5%
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 43.5% (2022 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
- 44.6% (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
- 32.5% (2024 est.)
- Industrial production growth rate
- 2.8% (2024 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $1.486 trillion (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $1.373 trillion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $1.442 trillion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $1.486 trillion (2024 est.)
Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)
- Male
- 20% (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
- Total
- 22.8% (2024 est.)
- Female
- 35.5% (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 36.4% (2024 est.)
- Services
- 47.9% (2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 13% (2024 est.)
Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share
- Note
- note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
- Lowest 10%
- 2.8% (2023 est.)
- Highest 10%
- 28.2% (2023 est.)
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income
- Note
- note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
- Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2023
- 35.9 (2023 est.)
Energy
Coal
- Exports
- 212,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 1.098 million metric tons (2023 est.)
- Production
- 2.209 million metric tons (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 3.032 million metric tons (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 1.203 billion metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
- Total petroleum production
- 4.112 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Crude oil estimated reserves
- 208.6 billion barrels (2021 est.)
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 2.415 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
- Exports
- 5.723 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 3.136 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 335.175 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 86.058 million kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 37.948 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Natural Gas
- Exports
- 14.698 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Imports
- 2.274 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Production
- 265.088 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 252.353 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 33.987 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Nuclear Energy
- Number of operational nuclear reactors
- 1 (2025)
- Percent of total electricity production
- 1.7% (2023 est.)
- Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors
- 0.92GW (2025 est.)
- Number of nuclear reactors under construction
- 1 (2025)
Electricity Access
- Electrification total population
- 100% (2022 est.)
Energy Consumption Per Capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 160.779 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Wind
- 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Solar
- 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Nuclear
- 1.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Fossil fuels
- 94.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Hydroelectricity
- 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 80% (2023 est.)
- Broadcast media
- state-run broadcast media with no private, independent broadcasters; Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the state-run TV broadcaster, operates over 60 television channels, over 50 radio stations, and dozens of newspapers and websites; about 20 foreign Persian-language TV stations broadcasting on satellite TV can be seen in Iran; satellite dishes are illegal and sometimes confiscated; most major international broadcasters transmit to Iran (2023)
- Internet country code
- .ir
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 29.02 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 32 (2023 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 159 million (2024 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 174 (2024 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 10.9 million (2023 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 12 (2023 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 0
- Small
- 6
- Medium
- 4
- Key ports
- Abadan, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Khorramshahr
- Very small
- 8
- Total ports
- 18 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 13
- Airports
- 177 (2025)
Railways
- Total
- 8,483.5 km (2014)
- Broad gauge
- 94 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge
- Standard gauge
- 8,389.5 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (189.5 km electrified)
- Heliports
- 90 (2025)
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 965 (2023)
- BY type
- bulk carrier 32, container ship 28, general cargo 398, oil tanker 86, other 421
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- EP
Environment
- Climate
- mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Geoparks
- Global geoparks and regional networks
- Aras; Qeshm Island; Tabas (2023)
- Total global geoparks and regional networks
- 3
Land Use
- Other
- 64.4% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 6.6% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 29% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 9.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 77.3% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane Emissions
- Other
- 37.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Waste
- 832.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Energy
- 6,208.1 kt (2022-2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 819.7 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 17.885 million tons (2024 est.)
- Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 16.8% (2022 est.)
- Environmental issues
- air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste
Total Water Withdrawal
- Municipal
- 6.2 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Industrial
- 1.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Agricultural
- 86 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 823.364 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From consumed natural gas
- 499.306 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From coal and metallurgical coke
- 7.136 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 316.922 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Particulate matter emissions
- 36.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Total renewable water resources
- 137 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International Environmental Agreements
- Party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- Signed, but not ratified
- Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Military & Security
- Military note
- the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was formed in May 1979 in the immediate aftermath of Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI’s fall, as leftists, nationalists, and Islamists jockeyed for power; while the interim prime minister controlled the government and state institutions, such as the Army, followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI organized counterweights, including the IRGC, to protect the Islamic revolution; the IRGC’s command structure bypassed the elected president and went directly to KHOMEINI; the IRGC played a critical role in helping KHOMEINI consolidate power in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution, and it ensured that KHOMEINI's Islamic revolutionary vision prevailed against domestic challenges from nationalists and leftist factions in the scramble for control after the Shah's departure
the Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) transformed the IRGC into more of a conventional fighting force with its own ground, air, naval, and special forces, plus control over Iran’s strategic missile and rocket forces; today, the IRGC is a highly institutionalized and parallel military force to Iran’s regular armed forces (Artesh); it is involved in internal security and has influence in the political and economic spheres of Iranian society, as well as Iran’s foreign policy; on the economic front, it owns factories and corporations and subsidiaries in banking, infrastructure, housing, airlines, tourism and other sectors; its special operations forces, known as the Qods/Quds Force, specialize in foreign missions and have provided advice, funding, guidance, material support, training, and weapons to militants in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, as well as extremist groups, including HAMAS, Hizballah, Kata’ib Hizballah, and Palestine Islamic Jihad; the Qods Force also conducts intelligence and reconnaissance operations; note - both the IRGC and the Qods Force have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US (see Terrorist Organizations under References)
the Supreme Council for National Security (SCNS) is the senior-most body for formulating Iran’s foreign and security policy; it is formally chaired by the president, who also appoints the SCNS secretary; its members include the speaker of the Majles, the head of the judiciary, the chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (chief of defense or CHOD), the commanders of the Artesh (regular forces) and IRGC, and the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, interior, and intelligence; the SCNS reports to the supreme leader; the supreme leader is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces
the Iranian Armed Forces are divided between the regular forces (Artesh) and the IRGC; the Artesh primarily focuses on defending Iran’s borders and territorial waters from external threats, while the IRGC has a broader mission to defend the Iranian revolution from any foreign or domestic threat; in 1989, Iran established the Armed Forces General Staff to coordinate military action across both the Artesh and the IRGC; Iran also has a joint military headquarters, the Khatam ol-Anbia Central Headquarters, to command the Artesh and IRGC in wartime (2024) - Military deployments
- note: Iran maintained a military presence in Syria and recruited, trained, and funded thousands of Syrian and foreign fighters to support the ASAD regime during the Syrian civil war (2011-December 2024)
Military Expenditures
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 2.0%
- Military expenditures 2020
- 2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Military expenditures 2021
- 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Military expenditures 2022
- 2.5% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Military expenditures 2023
- 2.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Military expenditures 2024
- 2% of GDP (2024 est.)
- Military and security forces
- the military forces of Iran are divided between the Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC or Sepah):
Artesh: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Air Force, Air Defense Forces
IRGC: Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines), Aerospace Force (controls strategic missile force), Qods Force (aka Quds Force; special operations), Cyber Electronic Command, Basij Paramilitary Forces
Ministry of Interior: Law Enforcement Command (FARAJA)
Ministry of Intelligence and Security (2025) - Military service age and obligation
- 16 for voluntary military service for men; military service is compulsory for all Iranian men at age 18 or 19 years of age; compulsory service obligation 14-21 months, depending on the location of service; women exempted from conscription but may volunteer (2025)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the Iranian military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and foreign equipment largely of Chinese, Russian/Soviet, and US origin (US equipment acquired prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979); it also has some military equipment from North Korea such as midget submarines and ballistic missiles; in recent years, Iran has received some newer equipment from Russia; Iran has a defense industry with the capacity to develop, produce, support, and sustain air, land, missile, and naval weapons programs (2025)
- Military and security service personnel strengths
- information varies; up to 600,000 total active armed forces personnel; estimated 400,000 Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (350,000 Ground Forces; 18,000 Navy; 40,000 Air Force/Air Defense Forces); up to estimated 190,000 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (100-150,000 Ground Forces; 20,000 Navy; 15,000 Aerospace Force; 5,000 Qods Force); estimated 90,000 active Basij Paramilitary Forces (2025)
Terrorism
- Terrorist group(s)
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Jaysh al Adl (Jundallah); Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); al-Qa’ida
Space
- Space launch site(s)
- Imam Khomeini Space Center (aka Semnan Space Center; Semnan province); Shahroud Space Center (Semnan Province; IRGC-operated); Chabahar Space Center (Sistan and Baluchistan Province; under development) (2025)
- Space agency/agencies
- Iranian Space Agency (ISA; created in 2003); Iran Space Research Center (ISRC; established, 2000); Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - Aerospace Force (IRGC-ARF) (2024)
- Space program overview
- has an ambitious civil and military space program focused on satellites and satellite launch vehicles (SLV); designs, builds, and operates satellites, including communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific; manufactures and operates SLVs; researching and developing other space-related capabilities and technologies in areas such as telecommunications, RS, navigation, and space situational awareness; international sanctions against Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program have severely limited Iran’s cooperation with foreign space agencies and commercial space industries; in recent years, however, it has worked with North Korea and Russia, as well as regional and international space organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization; Iran was a founding member of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) in 1958; has an active private space industry (2025)
- Key space program milestones
- 1998 - began development of 2-stage satellite/space launch vehicle (SLV) (Safir)
2006 - first successful launch of a small, domestically produced communications and research satellite (Omid) on the Safir SLV
2010 - began developing a more capable 2-stage orbital SLV (Simorgh; aka Safir-2)
2011 - launched first domestically produced remote sensing (RS) satellite (Rasad) on Safir SLV
2020 - placed RS microsatellite (Noor) in orbit on 3-stage SLV (Qased or Messenger)
2021 - first launch of road-mobile 3-stage SLV (Zuljanah)
2022 - completed suborbital test of new small-lift SLV (Quam-100)
Transnational Issues
Trafficking in Persons
- Tier rating
- Tier 3 — Iran does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Iran remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/iran/
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Idps
- 421 (2024 est.)
- Refugees
- 3,489,257 (2024 est.)
Scores & Rankings
ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of
Civica Index15.0 / 100as of 2024-Q4172 / 1902024-Q4
V-Dem Liberal Democracy0.09as of 2024-Q4140 / 1702024-Q4
Freedom House StatusNot Free (0/100)as of 2024-Q4—2024-Q4
Press Freedom (RSF)Restricted press (28/100)as of 2024—2024
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Iran — vintage 2026-Q1: Iran factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/iran
Sources: FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata