Background: Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and Shah Mohammad Reza PAHLAVI was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah KHOMEINI established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a religious scholar known as the Supreme Leader, who is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts -- an elected 88-member body of clerics. US-Iran relations became strained when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 and held embassy personnel hostage until mid-January 1981. The US cut off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980. From 1980 to 1988, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984. After the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad KHATAMI as president in 1997 and a reformist Majles (legislature) in 2000, a political reform campaign in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated, but conservative politicians blocked reform measures while increasing repression. Municipal and legislative elections in 2003 and 2004 saw conservatives reestablish control over Iran's elected government institutions, culminating in the 2005 inauguration of hardliner Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD as president. His reelection in 2009 sparked nationwide protests over allegations of electoral fraud, and the protests persisted until 2011. In 2013, Iranians elected to the presidency centrist cleric Dr. Hasan Fereidun RUHANI, a longtime senior regime member who promised to reform society and foreign policy. In 2019, Tehran's sudden decision to increase the gasoline price sparked nationwide protests, which the regime violently suppressed. Conservatives won the majority in Majles elections in 2020, and hardline cleric Ebrahim RAISI was elected president in 2021, resulting in a conservative monopoly across the regime's elected and unelected institutions. Iran continues to be subject to a range of international sanctions and export controls because of its involvement in terrorism, weapons proliferation, human rights abuses, and concerns over the nature of its nuclear program. Iran received nuclear-related sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action's (JCPOA) Implementation Day beginning in 2016. However, the US reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on Iran after it unilaterally terminated its JCPOA participation in 2018. In October 2023, the EU and the UK also decided to maintain nuclear-proliferation-related measures on Iran, as well as arms and missile embargoes, in response to Iran's non-compliance with its JCPOA commitments. As president, RAISI has concentrated on deepening Iran's foreign relations with anti-US states -- particularly China and Russia -- to weather US sanctions and diplomatic pressure, while supporting negotiations to restore a nuclear deal that began in 2021. RAISI contended with nationwide protests that began in September 2022 and persisted for over three months after the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa AMINI, in morality police custody. Young people and women led the protests, and demands focused on regime change.

Area
Total: 1,648,195 km²
Land: 1,531,595 km²
Water: 116,600 km²
Comparative: almost 2.5 times the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries
Total: 5,894 km
Border countries (7): (7) Afghanistan 921 km; Armenia 44 km; Azerbaijan 689 km; Iraq 1,599 km; Pakistan 959 km; Turkey 534 km; Turkmenistan 1,148 km

Coastline: 2,440 km
Note: Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf
Continental shelf: natural prolongation

Climate: mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Terrain: rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Elevation
Highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,625 m
Lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
Mean elevation: 1,305 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 29% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 9.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.2% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 18.2% (2023 est.)
Forest: 6.6% (2023 est.)
Other: 64.4% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 79,721 km² (2020)

Major rivers: Euphrates (shared with Turkey [s], Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 3,596 km; Tigris (shared with Turkey, Syria, and Iraq [m]) - 1,950 km; Helmand (shared with Afghanistan [s]) - 1,130 km
Note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Natural hazards: periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

Geography
Note: strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz

Population
Total: 88,386,937 (2024 est.)
Male: 44,795,539
Female: 43,591,398
Distribution: population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast, dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density
Growth rate: 0.88% (2024 est.)

Languages: Persian Farsi (official), Azeri and other Turkic dialects, Kurdish, Gilaki and Mazandarani, Luri, Balochi, Arabic
Major-language sample(s): ; چکیده نامه جهان، منبعی ضروری برای کسب اطلاعات کلی جهان (Persian); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Muslim (official) 98.5%, Christian 0.7%, Baha'i 0.3%, agnostic 0.3%, other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu) 0.2% (2020 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.3% (male 10,512,797/female 10,040,282)
15-64 years: 69.8% (male 31,413,125/female 30,267,241)
65 years and over: 7% (2024 est.) (male 2,869,617/female 3,283,875)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 43.3 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 33.3 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 10 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 10 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 33.8 years (2024 est.)
Male: 33.6 years
Female: 34.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.88% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 14.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: population is concentrated in the north, northwest, and west, reflecting the position of the Zagros and Elburz Mountains; the vast, dry areas in the center and eastern parts of the country, around the deserts of the Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut, have a much lower population density

Urbanization
Urban population: 77.3% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 9.500 million TEHRAN (capital), 3.368 million Mashhad, 2.258 million Esfahan, 1.721 million Shiraz, 1.661 million Tabriz, 1.594 million Karaj (2023)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 16 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 74.3 years
Female: 77.1 years

Total fertility rate: 1.91 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.3% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 5.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 2.3% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 4.3% (2017 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 9.2% (2024 est.); 9.1% (2023 est.); 9.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Tehran
Geographic coordinates: 35 42 N, 51 25 E
Time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC)
Daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time
Etymology: the name probably means 'flat' or 'lower,' referring to its location in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains

Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Alborz, Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi (West Azerbaijan), Azarbayjan-e Sharqi (East Azerbaijan), Bushehr, Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi (South Khorasan), Khorasan-e Razavi (Razavi Khorasan), Khorasan-e Shomali (North Khorasan), Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Bowyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan

Legal system: religious system based on secular and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Executive branch
Chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
Head of government: President Masoud PEZESHKIAN (since 30 July 2024)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the supreme leader has some control over appointments to several ministries
Election/appointment process: supreme leader appointed for life by Assembly of Experts; president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term and an additional nonconsecutive term)
Most recent election date: 28 June 2024, with runoff held on 5 July 2024
2024: first round results - Masoud PEZESHKIAN (independent) 44.4%, Saeed JALILI (Front of Islamic Revolution Stability) 40.4%, Mohammad Baqer QAKIBAF (Progress and Justice Population of Islamic Iran) 14.3%, other 0.9%; second round results - Masoud PEZESHKIAN elected; Masoud PEZESHKIAN 54.8%, Saeed JALILI 45.2%
2021: Ebrahim RAISI elected president; percent of vote - Ebrahim RAISI (independent) 72.4%, Mohsen REZAI (RFII) 13.8%, Abbdolnaser HEMATI (ECP) 9.8%, Amir-Hosein Qazizadeh-HASHEMI (Islamic Law Party) 4%
Note: presidential election held early due to the death of President Ebrahim RAISI in a helicopter accident in May 2024

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Islamic Parliament of Iran (Majles Shoraye Eslami)
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 290 (all directly elected)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 4 years
Most recent election date: 3/1/2024 to 5/10/2024
Percentage of women in chamber: 4.9%
Expected date of next election: February 2,028
Note: all candidates to the Majles must be approved by the Council of Guardians, a 12-member group of which 6 are appointed by the supreme leader and 6 are jurists nominated by the judiciary and elected by the Majles

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; centered in the white band is the red national emblem, a stylization of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip (a symbol of martyrdom); ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band

National anthem
Title: 'Soroud-e Melli-ye Jomhouri-ye Eslami-ye Iran' (National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran)
Lyrics/music: multiple authors/Hassan RIAHI
History: adopted 1990
Note: a recording of the current Iranian national anthem is unavailable because the US Navy Band does not record anthems for countries from which the US does not anticipate official visits; the US does not have diplomatic relations with Iran

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 29 (27 cultural, 2 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2024 est.); 5% (2023 est.); 3.8% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 3% (2024 est.); 5% (2023 est.); 3.8% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50.5% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 12.9% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 26.7% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: 13.3% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 22.9% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -26.8% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 13% (2024 est.)
Industry: 36.4% (2024 est.)
Services: 47.9% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: 2.8% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 28.575 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 9.2% (2024 est.); 9.1% (2023 est.); 9.1% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 9.2% (2024 est.); 9.1% (2023 est.); 9.1% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $60.714 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $90.238 billion (2019 est.)

Exports: $100.031 billion (2024 est.); $97.924 billion (2023 est.); $105.752 billion (2022 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: plastics, iron ore, alcohols, natural gas, refined copper (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $117.176 billion (2024 est.); $113.21 billion (2023 est.); $97.729 billion (2022 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: broadcasting equipment, vehicle parts/accessories, corn, soybeans, vehicle bodies (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 86.058 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 335.175 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Exports: 5.723 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 3.136 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 37.948 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 94.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 1.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 2.209 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 3.032 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Exports: 212,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 1.098 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.203 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 4.112 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 2.415 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 208.6 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 265.088 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 252.353 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 14.698 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 2.274 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 33.987 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 823.364 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 7.136 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 316.922 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 499.306 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 160.779 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 29.02 million (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 151 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 165 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 80% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 10.9 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 2% of GDP (2024 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2023 est.); 2.5% of GDP (2022 est.); 2.3% of GDP (2021 est.); 2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 177 (2025)

Heliports: 90 (2025)

Railways
Total: 8,483.5 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 8,389.5 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (189.5 km electrified)
Broad gauge: 94 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge

Merchant marine
Total: 965 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 32, container ship 28, general cargo 398, oil tanker 86, other 421