Form of government: unitary Islamic republic with one legislative house (Islamic Consultative Assembly [270]).
Supreme political/religious authority: Leader{1}.
Head of state and government: President.
Capital: Tehran.
Official language: Farsi (Persian).
Official religion: Islam.
Monetary unit: 1 rial (Rls); valuation (Oct. 6, 1995)
1 U.S.$=Rls 3,000{2};
1 
=Rls 4,742
{2}.
Population (1995): 61,271,000{3}.
Density (1995): persons per sq mi 97.2, persons per sq km 37.4.
Urban-rural (1991): urban 57.3%; rural 42.7%.
Sex distribution (1991): male 51.52%; female 48.48%.
Age breakdown (1991): under 15, 44.3%; 15-29, 26.6%; 30-44, 15.1%; 45-59, 8.2%; 60-74, 4.8%; 75 and over, 0.8%; unknown 0.2%.
Population projection: (2000) 67,304,000; (2010) 84,005,000.
Doubling time: 21 years.
Ethnic composition (1983): Persian 45.6%; Azerbaijani 16.8%; Kurdish 9.1%; Gilaki 5.3%; Luri 4.3%; Mazandarani 3.6%; Baluchi 2.3%; Arab 2.2%; Bakhtiari 1.7%; Turkmen 1.5%; Armenian 0.5%; other 7.1%.
Religious affiliation (1994): Muslim 99.1% (Shi'i 93.4%, Sunni 5.7%); Baha`i 0.6%; Christian 0.1%; Zoroastrian 0.1%; Jewish 0.1%.
Major cities (1991): Tehran 6,475,527; Mashhad 1,759,155; Esfahan 1,127,030; Tabriz 1,088,985; Shiraz 965,117; Ahvaz 724,653; Qom 681,253.
Birth rate per 1,000 population (1994): 42.0 (world avg. 25.0).
Death rate per 1,000 population (1994): 8.0 (world avg. 9.3).
Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1992): 5.5.
Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1991): 8.1.
Life expectancy at birth (1994): male 65.0 years; female 67.0 years.
Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1990) {4}: diseases of the circulatory system 304; accidents and violence 108; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 61; diseases of the respiratory system 48; infectious diseases 34.
Budget (1994-95). Revenue: Rls 33,592,000,000,000 (oil revenue 65.8%, taxes 19.1%, other 15.1%). Expenditures: Rls 33,768,000,000,000 (current expenditure 62.6%, development expenditure 37.4%).
Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1994): wheat 11,500,000, sugar beets 5,900,000, barley 3,100,000, rice 2,700,000, grapes 1,875,000, apples 1,690,000, oranges 1,485,000, dates 630,000, seed cotton 310,000, pistachios 210,000; livestock (head) 45,400,000 sheep, 7,100,000 cattle; roundwood 7,467,000 cu m; fish catch 343,888. Mining and quarrying (1993): copper ore (concentrate) 12,106,000; iron ore (concentrate) 8,690,000. Manufacturing (value added, in Rls '000,000; 1989-90): textiles (excl. wearing apparel) 375,200; food products 235,700; bricks, tiles, and cement 211,500; nonelectrical machinery 160,000; iron and steel 133,200; nonindustrial chemical products 131,500. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1993-94) 76,014,000,000 (53,200,000,000{5}); coal (metric tons; 1992) 1,500,000 (2,000,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1993-94) 1,426,800,000 (340,500,000{5}); petroleum products (metric tons; 1992) 42,246,000 (46,135,000); natural gas (cu m; 1993-94) 35,600,000,000 (35,100,000,000).
Gross national product (1992-93): U.S.$111,008,000,000 (U.S.$1,940 per capita).
Public debt (external, outstanding; 1993): U.S.$8,880,000,000.
Tourism (1993-94): receipts U.S.$70,000,000; expenditures U.S.$493,000,000.
Population economically active (1986): total 12,854,702; activity rate 26.0% (participation rates: ages 15-64, 46.8%; female 10.3%; unemployed [1994] 30%).
Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1991): 5.1; income per urban household (1988) Rls 1,339,970 (U.S.$19,536); sources of urban income (1988): wages 37.4%, self-employment 30.5%, other 32.1%; expenditure (1990-91): food and hotels 42.9%, housing and energy 24.9%.
Land use (1993): forested 7.0%; meadows and pastures 26.9%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 11.1%; other 55.0%.
Imports (1993-94): U.S.$19,287,000,000 ({6}nonelectrical machinery 28.9%, iron and steel 13.5%, transportation equipment 12.9%). Major import sources (1993){7}: Germany 18.0%; Japan 10.0%; Italy 9.0%; U.A.E. 7.0%; U.K. 5.0%.
Exports (1993-94): U.S.$18,080,000,000 (petroleum and natural gas 79.3%, carpets 7.7%, pistachios 2.4%, iron and steel 2.2%, copper bars and sheets 0.8%). Major export destinations (1993){7}: Japan 15.0%; France 9.0%; Italy 8.0%; The Netherlands 8.0%; South Korea 7.0%.
Transport. Railroads (1993): route length 3,014 mi, 4,851 km; (1991) passenger-km 4,584,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 7,704,000,000. Roads (1991): length 94,130 mi, 151,488 km (paved [1989] 34%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 1,557,000; trucks and buses 584,100. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 403; total deadweight tonnage 8,345,269. Air transport (1994){8}: passenger-km 5,023,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 78,811,000; airports (1995) with scheduled flights 20.
Communications. Daily newspapers (1992): 13; circulation 1,250,000; circulation per 1,000 population 22. Radio (1994): 13,000,000 receivers (1 per 4.6 persons). Television (1994): 7,000,000 receivers (1 per 8.5 persons). Telephones (main lines; 1993-94): 3,598,000 (1 per 16 persons).
Educational attainment (1986). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 12.8%; secondary education 38.0%; higher 7.8%. Literacy (1990): total population age 15 and over literate 18,200,000 (54.0%); males literate 11,600,000 (64.5%); females literate 6,600,000 (43.3%).
Health (1994): physicians 37,000 (1 per 1,600 persons); hospital beds (1995) 93,000 (1 per 650 persons); infant mortality rate 60.0.
Food (1992): daily per capita caloric intake 2,860 (vegetable products 91%, animal products 9%); 119% of FAO recommended minimum requirement.
Total active duty personnel (1994): 513,000 (revolutionary guard corps 23.4%, army 67.3%, navy 3.5%, air force 5.8%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1993): 3.5% (world 3.3%); per capita expenditure U.S.$83.