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Middle East

Iran

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

Muslim population98.5%of the population

Population87.1 millionpeople (current)

CapitalTehranUTC+3.5 · daylight saving in summer

Currency42,000 = $1Iranian rials (IRR) (2023)

Country basics

Iran is an Islamic republic in Western Asia, between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Iran is a republic with Tehran as its capital and Persian as its official language, and clerical and elected bodies share authority. The rial is the currency, and oil, gas and petrochemicals lead exports under long-standing sanctions.

Official name

Islamic Republic of Iran

Region

Asia · Southern Asia

Government

Unitary presidential theocratic Islamic republic under an authoritarian dictatorship

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+03:30

Driving side

Right

Phone code

+98

Currency

Iranian rial (IRR, ﷼)

Member of

UN; OPEC; BRICS

Website

https://www.dolat.ir

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2%

Languages

Persian

People and cities

Population

87.1 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

35.2 years (2025)

Living in cities

77.3% (2023)

Largest cities

Tehran (capital) 9.500 million · Mashhad 3.368 million · Esfahan 2.258 million · Shiraz 1.721 million · Tabriz 1.661 million

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

42,000 Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar (2023)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$16,200 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

32.5% (2024)

Unemployment

9.2% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

27.9% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

75.6 years (2024)

Doctors

1.81 per 1,000 people (2023)

Hospital beds

1.9 per 1,000 people (2019)

Safe drinking water

97.7% of people (2022)

Electricity

100% of people (2022)

Internet users

80% of people (2023)

Literacy

86% of adults (2016)

Land and climate

Climate

Mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

SizeAlmost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska

1,648,195 sq km

Natural hazards

Periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

National holiday

Republic Day, 1 April (1979)