Economy - overview:
Iran's economy is marked by statist policies, inefficiencies, and reliance on oil and gas exports, but Iran also possesses significant agricultural, industrial, and service sectors. The Iranian government directly owns and operates hundreds of state-owned enterprises and indirectly controls many companies affiliated with the country's security forces. Distortions - including corruption, price controls, subsidies, and a banking system holding billions of dollars of non-performing loans - weigh down the economy, undermining the potential for private-sector-led growth.Private sector activity includes small-scale workshops, farming, some manufacturing, and services, in addition to medium-scale construction, cement production, mining, and metalworking. Significant informal market activity flourishes and corruption is widespread.The lifting of most nuclear-related sanctions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January 2016 sparked a restoration of Iran’s oil production and revenue that drove rapid GDP growth, but economic growth declined in 2017 as oil production plateaued. The economy continues to suffer from low levels of investment and declines in productivity since before the JCPOA, and from high levels of unemployment, especially among women and college-educated Iranian youth.In May 2017, the re-election of President Hasan RUHANI generated widespread public expectations that the economic benefits of the JCPOA would expand and reach all levels of society. RUHANI will need to implement structural reforms that strengthen the banking sector and improve Iran’s business climate to attract foreign investment and encourage the growth of the private sector. Sanctions that are not related to Iran’s nuclear program remain in effect, and these—plus fears over the possible re-imposition of nuclear-related sanctions—will continue to deter foreign investors from engaging with Iran.
GDP (purchasing power parity): GDP (official exchange rate): GDP - real growth rate: GDP - per capita (PPP): Gross national saving: GDP - composition, by end use: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: Agriculture - products: Industries: Industrial production growth rate: Labor force: Labor force - by occupation: Unemployment rate: Population below poverty line: Household income or consumption by percentage share: Distribution of family income - Gini index: Budget: Taxes and other revenues: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): Public debt: Fiscal year: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Central bank discount rate: Commercial bank prime lending rate: Stock of narrow money: Stock of broad money: Stock of domestic credit: Market value of publicly traded shares: Current account balance: Exports: Exports - commodities: Exports - partners: Imports: Imports - commodities: Imports - partners: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Debt - external: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: Exchange rates:
$1.631 trillion (2017 est.)
$1.576 trillion (2016 est.)
$1.401 trillion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 19
$427.7 billion (2016 est.)
[see also: GDP (official exchange rate) country ranks ]
3.5% (2017 est.)
12.5% (2016 est.)
-1.6% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
[see also: GDP - real growth rate country ranks ]
$20,000 (2017 est.)
$19,600 (2016 est.)
$17,600 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 88
41.5% of GDP (2017 est.)
37.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
37.3% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Gross national saving country ranks ]
household consumption: 50.2%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - household consumption country ranks ]
government consumption: 13.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - government consumption country ranks ]
investment in fixed capital: 21.3%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in fixed capital country ranks ]
investment in inventories: 14.1%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - investment in inventories country ranks ]
exports of goods and services: 22.5%
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - exports of goods and services country ranks ]
imports of goods and services: -21.3% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by end use - imports of goods and services country ranks ]
agriculture: 9.8%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 35.9%
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - industry country ranks ]
services: 54.3% (2017 est.)
[see also: GDP - composition, by sector of origin - services country ranks ]
wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugarcane, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar
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
7.1% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
[see also: Industrial production growth rate country ranks ]
30.5 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
[see also: Labor force country ranks ]
agriculture: 16.3%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - agriculture country ranks ]
industry: 35.1%
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - industry country ranks ]
services: 48.6% (2013 est.)
[see also: Labor force - by occupation - services country ranks ]
12.4% (2017 est.)
12.5% (2016 est.)
note: data are Iranian government numbers
country comparison to the world: 160
[see also: Unemployment rate country ranks ]
18.7% (2007 est.)
[see also: Population below poverty line country ranks ]
lowest 10%: 2.6%
[see also: Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10% country ranks ]
highest 10%: 29.6% (2005)
44.5 (2006)
country comparison to the world: 44
[see also: Distribution of family income - Gini index country ranks ]
revenues: $77.22 billion
[see also: Budget - revenues country ranks ]
expenditures: $86.26 billion (2017 est.)
[see also: Budget - expenditures country ranks ]
18.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
[see also: Taxes and other revenues country ranks ]
-2.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
[see also: Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) country ranks ]
14.2% of GDP (2017 est.)
13.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
note: includes publicly guaranteed debt
country comparison to the world: 194
[see also: Public debt country ranks ]
21 March - 20 March
10.5% (2017 est.)
9% (2016 est.)
note: official Iranian estimate
country comparison to the world: 204
[see also: Inflation rate (consumer prices) country ranks ]
NA%
[see also: Central bank discount rate country ranks ]
13% (31 December 2017 est.)
18% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
[see also: Commercial bank prime lending rate country ranks ]
$51.61 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$47.59 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
[see also: Stock of narrow money country ranks ]
$436.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$366 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
[see also: Stock of broad money country ranks ]
$366.1 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$315.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
[see also: Stock of domestic credit country ranks ]
$89.43 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$116.6 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$345.8 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
[see also: Market value of publicly traded shares country ranks ]
$21.6 billion (2017 est.)
$16.39 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
[see also: Current account balance country ranks ]
$91.99 billion (2017 est.)
$83.98 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
[see also: Exports country ranks ]
petroleum 60%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets, cement, ore
China 30.1%, India 16.7%, South Korea 9.7%, Turkey 9.5%, Japan 6.8% (2016)
$70.53 billion (2017 est.)
$63.14 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
[see also: Imports country ranks ]
industrial supplies, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services
UAE 27.4%, China 13.2%, Turkey 7.8%, South Korea 4.3%, Germany 4% (2016)
$132.6 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$133.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
[see also: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold country ranks ]
$10.56 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$8.196 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
[see also: Debt - external country ranks ]
$50.33 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$46.02 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - at home country ranks ]
$5.226 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$4.656 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
[see also: Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad country ranks ]
Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar -
32,769.7 (2017 est.)
30,914.9 (2016 est.)
30,914.9 (2015 est.)
29,011.5 (2014 est.)
25,912 (2013 est.)