IRAN: FERTILE LANDSCAPE FOR INVESTMENT?
With good demographics and potential opportunities for FDI in a range of sectors, Iran is poised to make the most of further relaxing of economic sanctions.
Iran GDP and Economic Data
Country Report - Includes Iran real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Iran economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Iran best banks and safest banks are also available.
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Central bank
The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Gross Domestic Product - GDP
USD 452.3 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
Intl$ 1,610.7 billion (2018, estimate)
Real GDP growth
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| 6.7% | -0.1% | 0% | 5.7% | 3.1% | -7.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | ||
| 3.2% | -1.6% | 12.5% | 3.7% | -3.9% |
*Estimate
GDP (PPP) - share of world total
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2019* |
| 1.28% | 1.32% | 1.27% | 1.42% | 1.1% |
*Estimate
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GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 9.5%
- industry: 34.9%
- services: 54.4%
(2017 estimate)
Inflation
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 11.9% | 9.1% | 9.6% | 30.5% | 35.7% |
*Estimate
Unemployment rate
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 11% | 12.4% | 12.1% | 14.5% | 16.8% |
*Estimate
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 38.4% | 47.5% | 39.5% | 32.2% | 30.7% |
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| -1.8% | -2.3% | -1.8% | -2.5% | -4.4% |
*Estimate
Government bond ratings
Standard & Poor's: N/A
Moody's: N/A
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (
Source
Market value of publicly traded shares
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 111.4 billion | USD 108.6 billion | USD 143.5 billion |
Source
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
4.1 % (2018 estimate)
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)
24.9% (2017)
Shares in world total merchandising export
0.55% (2017)
Shares in world total commercial services export
0.20% (2016)
Export commodities
Petroleum 60%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets, cement, ore
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Import commodities
Industrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services
Exports - major partners
China 27.5%, India 15.1%, South Korea 11.4%, Turkey 11.1%, Italy 5.7%, Japan 5.3% (2017)
Imports - major partners
UAE 29.8%, China 12.7%, Turkey 4.4%, South Korea 4%, Germany 4% (2017)
FDI inflows
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 3,372 million | USD 5,019 million | USD 3,480 million |
FDI outflows
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 104 million | USD 76 million | USD 75 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014
N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015
N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.
Overall ranking: 120 out of 190 countries (2017)
Subcategories:
Overall ranking: 127 out of 190 countries
Starting a Business: 178 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 73 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 113 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 70 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 104 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 128 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 144 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 123 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 90 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 133 out of 190 countries
World Bank - Doing Business 2019
Source
Global competitiveness ranking
99 out of 141 countries
(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom
Ranking: 155 / Score: 51.1 (Mostly unfree)
(2019)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
Source
Source
Languages
Persian (official), Azeri Turkic and Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic
Religions
Muslim (official) 99.4% (Shia 90-95%, Sunni 5-10%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian) 0.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2011 est.)
Total population
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015* | 2020* |
| 54.5 million | 64.22 million | 74.16 million | 79.48 million | 84.15 million |
*Estimate
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Urban population as % of total population
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2018 |
| 33.7% | 49.7% | 64% | 74.9% |
Literacy
Total population: 85.5%
Male: 90.4%
Female: 80.8%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
2.5% (last available estimate, 2016)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)
40 (last available estimate, 2016)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Source
Freedom House rating
Not Free
Political Rights: 6
Civil Liberties: 6 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population
Fixed: 37.3% Mobile: 108.5% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)