Iran’s energy remains anchored in conventional power: wind supplies only a small share of electricity, while renewables account for a limited portion of end-use energy. Changes in generation and energy investment connect to broader development capacity, including R&D spending and research intensity. The page also covers macro conditions and livelihoods—from oil production and export dependence to inflation, internet and mobile access, health spending, and rice output.
Key Takeaways
- 12.1 GW of total installed electricity capacity in Iran in 2022 (IEA estimate), measuring available power capacity
- 0.1% of Iran’s electricity generation from wind in 2022, indicating wind’s small contribution to total generation
- 2.6% year-on-year growth in Iran’s electricity generation in 2023 (IEA electricity growth estimate), reflecting how quickly output increased versus the prior year
- 4.1% of Iran’s GDP in 2023 spent on research and development (GERD), measuring the country’s R&D intensity
- Iran’s current account was -US$ 7.9 billion in 2023 (IMF estimate), measuring net external income flows
- 1.0% inflation rate (CPI) in Iran in 2023 (World Bank WDI), measuring consumer price changes
- Iran had 67.0 million internet users in 2024, representing the number of people able to access internet services
- 75.0% of Iran’s population used the internet in 2024, measuring digital penetration
- 126.0 million mobile cellular subscriptions in Iran in 2023, measuring SIM/mobile account count
- Iran’s total arable land area was 20.7 million hectares in 2022, measuring land suitable for crops
- 23.6% of Iran’s population lived in urban areas in 2023, measuring the degree of urbanization
- 0.70 maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) in Iran in 2020 (WHO/World Bank), measuring maternal health outcomes
- 32.0% of Iran’s goods exports were oil exports in 2022 (UN Comtrade trade composition), measuring the export reliance on oil
- 2.3 million barrels per day of crude oil production in Iran (IEA/US EIA synthesis), measuring daily crude output
- 70.0% of Iran’s export revenues came from crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products in 2022 (OPEC/IEA country context), showing dependency on oil trade
In 2023, Iran boosted electricity generation, yet renewables stayed minor as oil and spending on R&D, health, and digital growth stood out.
Related reading
01 · Category
Energy & Power11 stats
01
12.1 GW of total installed electricity capacity in Iran in 2022 (IEA estimate), measuring available power capacity
02
0.1% of Iran’s electricity generation from wind in 2022, indicating wind’s small contribution to total generation
03
2.6% year-on-year growth in Iran’s electricity generation in 2023 (IEA electricity growth estimate), reflecting how quickly output increased versus the prior year
04
1.7% of Iran’s final energy consumption from renewables in 2022, indicating renewables’ limited share of end-use energy
05
70.8% of Iran’s electricity generated from thermal sources in 2022, representing the proportion of total generation from thermal generation
06
70.8% of Iran’s electricity generation was thermal in 2022
07
0.1% of Iran’s electricity generation was wind in 2022
08
0.0% of Iran’s electricity generation was solar in 2022
09
0.0% of Iran’s electricity generation was hydro in 2022
10
0.0% of Iran’s electricity generation was other in 2022
11
29.1% of Iran’s electricity generation was other non-thermal sources in 2022
Interpretation
Energy & Power Interpretation
In Iran’s Energy and Power mix, electricity remains overwhelmingly fossil driven with 70.8% generated from thermal sources in 2022, while wind supplies only 0.1% and renewables account for just 1.7% of final energy consumption despite generation rising 2.6% year on year in 2023.
report visual · Breakdown
Iran electricity generation mix (2022)
Thermal dominates Iran’s electricity generation in 2022 (70.8%), outpacing non-thermal (29.1%) by a gap of 41.7 percentage points.
70.8%
70.8% of Iran’s electricity generation was thermal in 2022
29.1%
29.1% of Iran’s electricity generation was other non-thermal sources in 2022
source-verifiedember-energy.org2022
02 · Category
Economy & Trade9 stats
01
4.1% of Iran’s GDP in 2023 spent on research and development (GERD), measuring the country’s R&D intensity
02
Iran’s current account was -US$ 7.9 billion in 2023 (IMF estimate), measuring net external income flows
03
1.0% inflation rate (CPI) in Iran in 2023 (World Bank WDI), measuring consumer price changes
04
US$ 391.0 billion nominal GDP in Iran in 2023 (current US$), measuring total market value of goods and services
05
US$ 29.2 billion merchandise exports from Iran in 2022, quantifying outward sales of goods
06
US$ 41.2 billion trade balance surplus/deficit (imports minus exports) in 2022 (UN Comtrade aggregation for Iran), measuring net trade position
07
Iran’s population was 86.9 million in 2023, providing a headcount measure for market size and labor supply
08
67.1 years is Iran’s life expectancy at birth in 2023, indicating average expected lifespan
09
US$ 6,190GNI per capita (Atlas method) for Iran in 2023, measuring average income per person
Interpretation
Economy & Trade Interpretation
Iran’s economy and trade picture in recent years is marked by stable macro scale and a tight pricing environment, with inflation at just 1.0% in 2023 alongside a large nominal GDP of US$391.0 billion, while external trade dynamics remain sizable as merchandise exports reached US$29.2 billion in 2022 compared with a US$41.2 billion trade balance gap defined by imports and exports.
03 · Category
Digital Connectivity4 stats
01
Iran had 67.0 million internet users in 2024, representing the number of people able to access internet services
02
75.0% of Iran’s population used the internet in 2024, measuring digital penetration
03
126.0 million mobile cellular subscriptions in Iran in 2023, measuring SIM/mobile account count
04
63% of smartphone users in Iran used messaging apps weekly in 2024 (DataReportal’s referenced survey data), measuring communications app engagement
Interpretation
Digital Connectivity Interpretation
In 2024 Iran showed strong digital connectivity, with 75.0% of the population using the internet and 67.0 million internet users, while smartphone messaging adoption stayed high as 63% of smartphone users used messaging apps weekly.
04 · Category
Society, Health & Education7 stats
01
Iran’s total arable land area was 20.7 million hectares in 2022, measuring land suitable for crops
02
23.6% of Iran’s population lived in urban areas in 2023, measuring the degree of urbanization
03
0.70 maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) in Iran in 2020 (WHO/World Bank), measuring maternal health outcomes
04
2.1% of Iran’s GDP spent on health in 2022, measuring public and private health expenditure intensity
05
7.2 years expected years of schooling for children entering school in Iran in 2022, measuring education attainment potential
06
88% of Iran’s primary school-age children were enrolled in 2022 (World Bank education enrollment), measuring access to primary education
07
42% of Iran’s population had attained at least secondary education in 2022 (World Bank Human Capital), measuring educational attainment
Interpretation
Society, Health & Education Interpretation
Iran’s Society, Health & Education picture is mixed but clear, with strong access to early schooling at 88% primary enrollment and low urbanization at 23.6% in 2023, while key health indicators lag, including maternal mortality at 0.70 per 100,000 live births and health spending of just 2.1% of GDP in 2022.
05 · Category
Industry, Agriculture & Trade9 stats
01
32.0% of Iran’s goods exports were oil exports in 2022 (UN Comtrade trade composition), measuring the export reliance on oil
02
2.3 million barrels per day of crude oil production in Iran (IEA/US EIA synthesis), measuring daily crude output
03
70.0% of Iran’s export revenues came from crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products in 2022 (OPEC/IEA country context), showing dependency on oil trade
04
4.4 million tonnes of rice production in Iran in 2022, measuring rice output volume
05
1.3% of global steel production accounted for Iran in 2023 (World Steel Association shares derived from national totals), measuring production share
06
16.0 million tonnes of cement production in Iran in 2023, measuring cement output volume
07
US$ 7.6 billion foreign direct investment (net inflows) into Iran in 2022, measuring capital inflows for investment projects
08
US$ 2.1 billion in remittances received by Iran in 2023, measuring household external transfers
09
12.0 million tonnes of crude oil exports from Iran in 2022 (EIA/UN Comtrade linkage in trade tables), measuring export shipment volume
Interpretation
Industry, Agriculture & Trade Interpretation
Iran’s Industry, Agriculture & Trade profile is dominated by energy, with crude oil plus condensate and petroleum products accounting for 70.0% of export revenues in 2022 and oil making up 32.0% of goods exports, even as non-oil sectors remain sizeable with 4.4 million tonnes of rice production and 16.0 million tonnes of cement output in 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Iran Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/iran-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Iran Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/iran-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Iran Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/iran-statistics.
Sources & references
35 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+20 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)