Labor participation rate in Iran
Iran: Labor participation rate was 40.97 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
40.97
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
174th
of 186 countries
All-time high
47.14
in 1990
All-time low
40.56
in 2022
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Iran, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor participation rate in Iran stood at 40.97.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Iran peaked at 47.14 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 40.56, in 2022.
That places Iran 174th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 47.14 | — |
| 1991 | 46.78 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 46.31 | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 45.8 | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 45.23 | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 44.6 | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 43.93 | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 43.93 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 43.95 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 44.01 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 44.13 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 44.33 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 44.57 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 44.96 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 45.51 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 46.12 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 45.29 | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 44.43 | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 42.27 | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 43.03 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 42.3 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 40.62 | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 41.77 | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 41.15 | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 40.89 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 41.94 | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 43.16 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 44.23 | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 44.39 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 44.03 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 41.36 | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 41.04 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 40.56 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 41.52 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 41.27 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 40.97 | -0.7% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 40.97 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60.51, 68% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 40.97 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 44.99, 91% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.17 | 43.93 | 47.14 | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.46 | 42.27 | 46.12 | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.45 | 40.62 | 44.39 | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.12 | 40.56 | 41.52 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More work & labour data for Iran
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 44,188 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 40.34 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 29,874 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 8.53 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2.43 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 57,320 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 20,416 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 36.89 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.89 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.574 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor participation rate in Iran?
- Labor participation rate in Iran was 40.97 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 47.14 in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.56 in 2022.
- How does Iran rank for labor participation rate?
- Iran ranks 174th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).