The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Iran, Islamic Republic of
Iran, Islamic Republic of: The share and number of people living in extreme poverty was 2.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Iran, Islamic Republic of, 1986–2023
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iran, Islamic Republic of recorded 2.5% for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.3% on the previous year and up 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Iran, Islamic Republic of peaked at 21.8% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2012.
That places Iran, Islamic Republic of 50th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Iran, Islamic Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 21.8% | — |
| 1990 | 21.6% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 15.8% | -27.1% |
| 1998 | 15.2% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 4.5% | -70.6% |
| 2006 | 4.5% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | +10.7% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -54.2% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | -21.7% |
| 2013 | 1.9% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | +73.4% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 2.7% | -10.2% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | +18.1% |
| 2019 | 4.3% | +35.8% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -20.1% |
| 2022 | 2.8% | -24.4% |
| 2023 | 2.5% | -11.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 21.8% | 21.8% | 21.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 17.5% | 15.2% | 21.6% | 3 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 1.8% | 4.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 2.5% | 4.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran, Islamic Republic of
- 47 Brazil 3.0% compare
- 48 Sri Lanka 2.7% compare
- 49 Montenegro 2.5% compare
- 51 Nepal 2.4% compare
- 52 Uzbekistan 2.3%
- 53 Kyrgyzstan 2.2% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Iran, Islamic Republic of
- 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)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.482 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 29.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The share and number of people living in extreme poverty in Iran, Islamic Republic of was 2.5% in 2023, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 1986.
- What is the lowest the share and number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2012.
- How does Iran, Islamic Republic of rank for the share and number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 50th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is the share and number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran, Islamic Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of The share and number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below $3 per day.