IR
Aid, poverty & equality · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · Upper-middle income
Iran: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 2.5% (2023), 68th of 151 in the world and 5th of 13 in the Middle East & North Africa. Poverty, $4.20/day is 7.5% (2023), 67th of 151 in the world and 5th of 13 in the Middle East & North Africa. Poverty, $8.30/day is 36.0% (2023), 68th of 151 in the world and 6th of 13 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Extreme poverty
IranMiddle East, North Africa, A…Upper-middle incomeWorld
Poverty, $4.20/day
IranMiddle East, North Africa, A…Upper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Iran in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 2.5%2023 | 68/151 | 5/13 | 15.2%1998 | 2.3%2011 | 4.6% | +0.6 ppsince 2013 | 14.3% | 2.1% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 7.5%2023 | 67/151 | 5/13 | 27.2%1998 | 7.2%2011 | 12.2% | +0.6 ppsince 2013 | 26.8% | 5.4% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 36.0%2023 | 68/151 | 6/13 | 60.1%1998 | 38.3%2011 | 48.4% | −3.8 ppsince 2013 | 59.0% | 26.4% | 46.2% | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 35.92023 | 67/151 | 4/13 | 44.11998 | 34.72011 | 35.8 | +5.6%since 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 28.2%2023 | 64/151 | 2/13 | 33.7%1998 | 26.7%2011 | 27.6% | +1.5 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 7.0%2023 | 83/151 | 8/13 | 5.2%1998 | 7.3%2011 | 7.0% | −0.6 ppsince 2013 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 6.7%2024 | 68/167 | 11/19 | 4.9%2001 | 9.4% | 6.9% | −0.9 ppsince 2014 | 12.3% | 4.0% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 37.7%2024 | 47/155 | 5/15 | · | · | 42.4% | — | 40.1% | 12.6% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 91.1%2024 | 35/145 | 2/20 | · | 73.7%2011 | 90.0%2021 | −1.2 ppsince 2014 | 52.8% | 84.0% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 4.9%2025 | 180/190 | 19/22 | 3.4% | 2.8% | 5.6% | +1.8 ppsince 2015 | 16.9% | 27.0% | 27.2% | |
| Net ODA receivedNet official development assistance received, US$ | $241m2023 | 90/145 | 13/16 | $130m | $111m | $237m | +83%since 2013 | $35.1bn | $57.4bn | $259bn | |
| ODA, % of GNINet ODA received, % of GNI | 0.1%2023 | 131/139 | 15/15 | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | ±0.0 ppsince 2013 | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.2% | |
| ODA per personNet ODA received per capita, US$ | $2.72023 | 139/145 | 15/16 | $2.0 | $1.4 | $2.7 | +62%since 2013 | $44.0 | $18.8 | $32.2 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Poverty, $8.30/day−3.8 pp36.0% in 2023
- Undernourishment−0.9 pp6.7% in 2024
- Women in parliament+1.8 pp4.9% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty+0.6 pp2.5% in 2023
- Poverty, $4.20/day+0.6 pp7.5% in 2023
- Gini index+5.6%35.9 in 2023
- Top 10% income share+1.5 pp28.2% in 2023
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Iran and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Iran. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Iran | Pakistan | Türkiye | Iraq | Afghanistan | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 2.5%2023 | 23.0%2024 | 0.2%2023 | 0.5%2023 | — | — |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 7.5%2023 | 47.9%2024 | 0.4%2023 | 2.4%2023 | — | — |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 36.0%2023 | 87.1%2024 | 4.1%2023 | 28.0%2023 | — | — |
| Gini index | 35.92023 | 33.52024 | 43.72023 | 29.82023 | — | — |
| Top 10% income share | 28.2%2023 | 27.7%2024 | 34.4%2023 | 24.2%2023 | — | — |
| Bottom 20% income share | 7.0%2023 | 8.2%2024 | 5.5%2023 | 8.9%2023 | — | — |
| Undernourishment | 6.7%2024 | 16.1%2024 | 2.5%2024 | 13.4%2024 | 27.8%2024 | 2.5%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 37.7%2024 | 22.9%2024 | — | — | 77.8%2024 | — |
| Account ownership | 91.1%2024 | 27.3%2024 | 81.6%2024 | 30.2%2024 | 9.7%2021 | 78.8%2024 |