Iran: cost of living

How fast are prices rising in Iran?

Consumer prices in Iran rose 42.2% in 2025, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators. Prices have risen by more than 30% a year in each year from 2022 to 2025.

At 42% a year, prices roughly double in two years, so wages and savings that do not keep up lose value quickly. The Statistical Centre of Iran publishes price indices for food, housing and other groups; Iranian government websites, including those of the Central Bank of Iran and the Statistical Centre of Iran, could not be reached on 15 October 2026, so the latest figures for individual items could not be confirmed here.

Official sources: World Bank: inflation, consumer prices, Iran

What is the poverty rate in Iran?

2.5% of people in Iran lived on less than US$3.00 a day in 2023, and 36.0% on less than US$8.30 a day, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators and the World Bank upper-middle-income poverty line.

The lines are at 2021 prices adjusted for purchasing power. The US$8.30 line is the one the World Bank uses for upper-middle-income countries; the share below it fell from 48.4% in 2020. The figures come from household surveys and predate the 2025 rise in inflation. Iran does not publish an official national poverty rate in the World Bank series.

Official sources: World Bank: poverty at $3.00 a day, Iran · World Bank: poverty at $8.30 a day, Iran

How unequal is income in Iran?

Iran's Gini index was 35.9 in 2023, according to the World Bank World Development Indicators, up from 34.8 in 2022.

The Gini index runs from 0, where everyone has the same income or consumption, to 100, where one person has everything. Iran's figure is based on household consumption surveys and has stayed between about 35 and 36 in recent years apart from 2022. It measures consumption, not wealth such as property.

Official sources: World Bank: Gini index, Iran

What is the price of petrol in Iran?

Iranian government websites, including those of the Central Bank of Iran and the Statistical Centre of Iran, could not be reached on 15 October 2026; the official petrol price, which is set by the government, could not be read from an official source on the Iranian government, World Bank or IMF websites checked on 15 October 2026.

Official sources: World Bank: Iran country data

How fast are prices rising in Iran?

The IMF puts consumer price inflation in Iran at 42.2% in 2025. The peak was 44.6% in 2023 and the low 7.2% in 2016. Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan median: 1.9%; Iran is 1st highest of 18. Worldwide: 1st of 165.

How much do people in Iran spend?

The World Bank puts household consumption per person in Iran at $2,553 in 2025. The peak was $2,863 in 2011 and the low $2,288 in 2020. It is 8th highest of 11 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is $2,629. World rank, highest first: 80th of 124.

What share of people in Iran live in extreme poverty?

The latest figure from the World Bank, for 2023, is 2.5%. The peak was 4.9% in 2009 and the low 1.8% in 2012. Of 59 countries with 2023 data, 19th highest.

What is income inequality in Iran?

In 2023, the Gini index in Iran was 35.9, according to the World Bank. The peak was 44.8 in 2006 and the low 34.0 in 2013. Of 59 countries with 2023 data, 24th highest.

How many people in Iran go hungry?

In 2024, moderate or severe food insecurity in Iran was 37.7%, according to the FAO. No year since 2015 has been lower. It is 4th highest of 13 in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, where the median is 24.2%. Worldwide: 40th of 135.