Gender Inequality Index in Iran
Iran: Gender Inequality Index was 0.482 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in Iran, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender inequality index in Iran is 0.482, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in Iran peaked at 0.688 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.455, in 2018.
That places Iran 48th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.688 | — |
| 1991 | 0.678 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 0.667 | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 0.653 | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.639 | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 0.631 | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 0.618 | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 0.602 | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.589 | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 0.57 | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 0.577 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.566 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 0.547 | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 0.539 | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 0.526 | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 0.506 | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 0.504 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.508 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.55 | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 0.552 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 0.545 | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 0.551 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.525 | -4.7% |
| 2013 | 0.543 | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 0.537 | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 0.532 | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 0.47 | -11.7% |
| 2017 | 0.46 | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 0.455 | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.463 | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 0.483 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 0.487 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.483 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.482 | -0.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 0.482 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.345, 1.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Iran's 0.482 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.379, 1.3× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6335 | 0.57 | 0.688 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5375 | 0.504 | 0.577 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5081 | 0.455 | 0.551 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4838 | 0.482 | 0.487 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More poverty & inequality data for Iran
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 8 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,420 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 4.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via -11.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 29.4% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0873 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender inequality index in Iran?
- Gender inequality index in Iran was 0.482 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 0.688 in 1990.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.455 in 2018.
- How does Iran rank for gender inequality index?
- Iran ranks 48th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.