Population by labor force status bars in Iran
Iran: Population by labor force status bars was 20.35 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
20.35 million
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
19th
of 186 countries
All-time high
26.76 million
in 1993
All-time low
18.09 million
in 2009
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status bars in Iran, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, population by labor force status bars in Iran stood at 20.35 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status bars in Iran peaked at 26.76 million in 1993 and was at its lowest, 18.09 million, in 2009.
That places Iran 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status bars in Iran, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26.33 million | — |
| 1992 | 26.70 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 26.76 million | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 26.56 million | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 26.17 million | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 25.60 million | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 24.88 million | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 24.06 million | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 23.18 million | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 22.29 million | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 21.41 million | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 20.49 million | -4.3% |
| 2003 | 19.74 million | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 19.24 million | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 18.85 million | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 18.57 million | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 18.33 million | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 18.14 million | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 18.09 million | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 18.15 million | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 18.29 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 18.48 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 18.74 million | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 19.08 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 19.49 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 19.92 million | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 20.32 million | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 20.64 million | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 20.82 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 20.86 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 20.83 million | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 20.79 million | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 20.69 million | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 20.55 million | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 20.35 million | -1.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 20.35 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.99 million, 10.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 20.35 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.91 million, 7.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.58 million | 23.18 million | 26.76 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 19.52 million | 18.09 million | 22.29 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.39 million | 18.15 million | 20.82 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.68 million | 20.35 million | 20.86 million | 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 population by labor force status bars in Iran?
- Population by labor force status bars in Iran was 20.35 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status bars recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 26.76 million in 1993.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status bars recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.09 million in 2009.
- How does Iran rank for population by labor force status bars?
- Iran ranks 19th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status bars rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. 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 Population by labor force status bars. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).