Population and Demographics

Iran is a diverse country consisting of people of many religions and ethnic backgrounds cemented by the Persian culture. Persians, the founders of Ancient Persia, constitute the majority of the population. 70% of present-day Iranians are Iranic peoples, native speakers of Indo-European languages who are descended from the Aryan (Indo-Iranians) tribes that began migrating from Central Asia into what is now Iran in the second millennium BC. The majority of the population speaks one of the Iranian languages, including the official language, Persian. The main ethnic groups are Persians (51%), Azeris (24%), Gilaki and Mazandarani (8%), Kurds (7%), Arabs (3%), Baluchi (2%), Lurs (2%), Turkmens (2%), Qashqai, Armenians, Persian Jews, Georgians, Assyrians, Circassians, Tats, Pashtuns and others (1%).

The Iranian diaspora is estimated at over four million people who emigrated to North America, Europe, South America and Australia, mostly after the Iranian revolution in 1979. Iran also hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world, with more than one million refugees, mostly from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran's population increased dramatically during the latter half of the twentieth century, reaching over 60 million by 2006. In recent years, however, Iran's birth rate has dropped significantly. Studies show that Iran's rate of population growth will continue to slow until it stabilises, by the year 2050, above 90 million. More than two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30, and the literacy rate is 77%.

Most Iranians are Muslims; 89% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official state religion, and about 9% belong to the Sunni branch, mainly Kurds. The remaining 2% are non-Muslim religious minorities, mainly Bahai's, Mandeans, Hindus, Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians. The latter three minority religions are officially recognised and protected, and have reserved seats in the Majles (Parliament).

Facts and Figures

• Population: 65,397,521
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 23.2% (male 7,783,794/female 7,385,721)
  • 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 23,636,883/female 23,088,934)
  • 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,701,727/female 1,800,462)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 25.8 years
  • Male: 25.6 years
  • Female: 26 years
• Population Growth Rate: 0.663%
• Birth Rate: 16.57 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 5.65 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: -4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.054 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.945 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 1.026 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 38.12 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 38.29 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 37.93 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 70.56 years
  • Male: 69.12 years
  • Female: 72.07 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 1.71 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 31,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Persian 51%
  • Azeri 24%
  • Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%
  • Kurd 7%
  • Arab 3%
  • Lur 2%
  • Baloch 2%
  • Turkmen 2%
  • Other 1%
• Religions:
  • Muslim 98% (Shi'a 89%, Sunni 9%),
  • Other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i) 2%
• Languages:
  • Persian and Persian dialects 58%
  • Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%
  • Kurdish 9%
  • Luri 2%
  • Balochi 1%
  • Arabic 1%
  • Turkish 1%
  • Other 2%
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 77%
  • Male: 83.5%
  • Female: 70.4