Capital

Islamische Republik Iran

name: Tehran

geographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 51 25 E

time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins fourth Wednesday in March; ends fourth Friday in September

etymology: various explanations of the city's name have been proffered, but the most plausible states that it derives from the Persian words tah meaning "end or bottom" and ran meaning "[mountain] slope" to signify "bottom of the mountain slope"; Tehran lies at the bottom slope of the Elburz Mountains

Citizenship

Islamische Republik Iran

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

Legal system

Islamische Republik Iran

religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law

Suffrage

Islamische Republik Iran

18 years of age; universal

Area

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 1,648,195 sq km

land: 1,531,595 sq km

water: 116,600 sq km

Land use

Islamische Republik Iran

agricultural land: 30.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 10.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 18.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 6.8% (2018 est.)

other: 63.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Islamische Republik Iran

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Age structure

Islamische Republik Iran

0-14 years: 23.51% (male 10,533,573/female 10,060,225)

15-64 years: 69.82% (male 31,140,117/female 30,014,613)

65 years and over: 6.67% (2023 est.) (male 2,723,298/female 3,119,047)

Birth rate

Islamische Republik Iran

14.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Islamische Republik Iran

5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Islamische Republik Iran

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.

Life expectancy at birth

Islamische Republik Iran

total population: 75.4 years (2023 est.)

male: 74.1 years

female: 76.9 years

Major urban areas - population

Islamische Republik Iran

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)

Median age

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 33.3 years (2023 est.)

male: 33.1 years

female: 33.5 years

Net migration rate

Islamische Republik Iran

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Islamische Republik Iran

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

Population growth rate

Islamische Republik Iran

0.93% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Islamische Republik Iran

1.92 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Islamische Republik Iran

urban population: 77.3% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Islamische Republik Iran

3.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Islamische Republik Iran

-2.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Islamische Republik Iran

3.21% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Islamische Republik Iran

27.682 million (2021 est.)

note: shortage of skilled labor

Population below poverty line

Islamische Republik Iran

18.7% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate

Islamische Republik Iran

11.46% (2021 est.)

12.17% (2020 est.)

10.74% (2019 est.)

note: data are Iranian Government numbers

Public debt

Islamische Republik Iran

39.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

47.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: includes publicly guaranteed debt

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Islamische Republik Iran

43.39% (2021 est.)

30.59% (2020 est.)

39.91% (2019 est.)

note: official Iranian estimate

Exports

Islamische Republik Iran

$101.4 billion (2017 est.)

$83.98 billion (2016 est.)

Exports - partners

Islamische Republik Iran

China 48%, India 12%, South Korea 8%, Turkey 6%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)

Imports

Islamische Republik Iran

$76.39 billion (2017 est.)

$63.14 billion (2016 est.)

Imports - partners

Islamische Republik Iran

China 28%, United Arab Emirates 20%, India 11%, Turkey 7%, Brazil 6%, Germany 5% (2019)

Airports

Islamische Republik Iran

319 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 9,564,195 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 69.52 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 79% (2021 est.)

Railways

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 8,483.5 km (2014)

standard gauge: 8,389.5 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (189.5 km electrified)

broad gauge: 94 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge

Roadways

Islamische Republik Iran

total: 223,485 km (2018)

paved: 195,485 km (2018)

unpaved: 28,000 km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Islamische Republik Iran

total subscriptions: 29,306,782 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Islamische Republik Iran

total subscriptions: 135,899,424 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 155 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Islamische Republik Iran

850 km (2012) (on Karun River; some navigation on Lake Urmia)

Disputes - international

Islamische Republik Iran

Iran-Afghanistan: Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed Helmand River tributaries during drought; Afghan and Iranian commissioners have discussed boundary monument densification and resurvey

Iran-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Russia: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified a Caspian seabed delimitation treaty in 2018 based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea

Iran-Iraq: Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf

Iran-Kuwait: dispute over undemarcated maritime border and Al Durra offshore gasfield in the Arabian/Persian Gulf 

Iran-UAE: Iran and UAE dispute the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands, which are occupied by Iran; Iran has conducted military drills on and around the disputed islands

Caspian Sea (Maritime Boundary): Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified the Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea