Macro economy
Iran through World Bank data: growth, inflation, the dollar, money and the official forecasts
Synced with the World Bank: 14 hours agoNewest data: 1404
In brief
1404: GDP growth −2.8% (first contraction since 1398), inflation 42.2%, GDP per capita 3,924 US$ (−24.4% vs the year before)
Largest forecast miss: inflation 1404 — IMF WEO forecast 32.5%, actual 42.2% (9.7 pp)
Latest source update: FAO consumer price index, 1 October 2026
Iran at a glance
Region: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan Income group: Upper middle income World Bank classification since Jul 2026
Population
92.4M people2025
GDP per capita (current US$)
3,924 US$FY 1404
GDP growth
−2.8%FY 1404
Inflation, CPI (annual avg)
42.2%FY 1404
Unemployment (ILO estimate)
8.3%2025
Urban population share
77.4%2025
Life expectancy
77.9 years2024
Gini index
35.92023Dated
Nothing newer than 2023 published
The Central Bank puts 1404 annual inflation at 48.3% — two sources, two answers to one question The Central Bank's inflation rate →
Gregorian years (2025) and Iranian fiscal years (1404) sit side by side: the World Bank's annual “2025” is fiscal 1404
Growth & output
4 indicators — show list
GDP (current US$)
362.7B US$FY 1404
15 years
−23.7% vs previous period (1403)
Chart →GDP per capita, PPP
19,874 intl $FY 1403
15 years
+5.1% vs previous period (1402)
Chart →GNI per capita, Atlas
4,650 US$FY 1404
15 years
−9.4% vs previous period (1403)
Chart →Gross capital formation (% GDP)
41.8%FY 1404
15 years
−2.5 pp vs previous period (1403)
Chart →Prices & inflation
2 indicators — show list
Money & rates
5 indicators — show list
Broad money growth
28%FY 1395Dated
15 years
Nothing newer than 1395 published
+3.6 pp vs previous period (1394)
Chart →Broad money (% GDP)
79.1%FY 1395Dated
15 years
Nothing newer than 1395 published
+2.3 pp vs previous period (1394)
Chart →Deposit interest rate
12.8%FY 1395Dated
14 years
Nothing newer than 1395 published
−3.5 pp vs previous period (1394)
Chart →Real interest rate
3.4%FY 1395Dated
13 years
Nothing newer than 1395 published
−10.6 pp vs previous period (1394)
Chart →Credit to private sector (% GDP)
57.8%FY 1395Dated
15 years
Nothing newer than 1395 published
+1.4 pp vs previous period (1394)
Chart →The dollar
1 indicators — show list
External sector
6 indicators — show list
Current account (% GDP)
4.4%FY 1402Dated
15 years
Nothing newer than 1402 published
+0.3 pp vs previous period (1401)
Chart →Oil rents (% GDP)
18.3%FY 1400Dated
15 years
Nothing newer than 1400 published
+5 pp vs previous period (1399)
Chart →Fuel exports (% merchandise)
56.4%2022Dated
15 years
Nothing newer than 2022 published
+8.5 pp vs previous period (2021)
Chart →Exports (% GDP)
25.8%FY 1404
15 years
+2.2 pp vs previous period (1403)
Chart →FDI net inflows
1.4B US$2024
15 years
+1.9% vs previous period (2023)
Chart →External debt stocks
9.7B US$2024
15 years
−2.5% vs previous period (2023)
Chart →Budget & debt
2 indicators — show list
People & work
2 indicators — show list
Capital market
3 indicators — show list
Official forecasts
The figures the IMF and the World Bank publish — the last three actual years and the projection horizon, labelled by institution.
Grey: forecast · italic: estimate · the rule: no actual figure exists from that column on (some cells before it are forecasts too)
| Institution | 1403 | 1404 | Forecasts only →1405 | 1406 | 1407 | 1408 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual (WDI) | 3.7% | −2.8% | — | — | — | — |
| IMF WEOMay 2026 edition | 3.3% | 3% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 2% | 2% |
| World Bank GEPMar 2025 edition | 3% | 2.7% | 2.2% | — | — | — |
1404 — actual (WDI): −2.8% · IMF WEO had forecast 3% (5.8 pp above); World Bank GEP had forecast 2.7% (5.5 pp above)
| Institution | 1403 | 1404 | Forecasts only →1405 | 1406 | 1407 | 1408 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual (WDI) | 32.5% | 42.2% | — | — | — | — |
| IMF WEOMay 2026 edition | 37.5% | 32.5% | 27.5% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| World Bank MPOSept 2026 edition | 35.8% | 42% | 43.2% | 44.5% | — | — |
1404 — actual (WDI): 42.2% · IMF WEO had forecast 32.5% (9.7 pp below); World Bank MPO had estimated 42% (0.2 pp below)
| Institution | 1401 | 1402 | Forecasts only →1403 | 1404 | 1405 | 1406 | 1407 | 1408 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMF WEOMay 2026 edition | 9% | 9% | 8.9% | 8.8% | 8.6% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.4% |
WDI unemployment is an ILO calendar-year estimate, not comparable with the fiscal-year columns
The dollar: free market, preferential rate (WDI), purchasing-power parity
Free market (today)258,465 toman1 Oct 2026
PPP conversion factor14,794 tomanFY 1404
Preferential rate (WDI, annual avg)4,200 toman2023
Preferential rate, monthly (IFS)4,200 toman2024/05
In 1404 the median free-market dollar was 7.1× that year's PPP rate
Today's dollar (1 Oct 2026) is 17.5× the 1404 PPP rate — but that rate measures 1404's price level, and prices have risen since, so much of this multiple is the time between the two.
PPP is not a fair value, and the WDI figure is the annual average of the 42,000-rial preferential rate (to 2023) — not the Central Bank's live reference rate shown on the Official rates → page. Different numbers, different meanings.
Year by year: inflation against the dollar, the coin and gold
Inflation and growth per year from the World Bank; price changes Esfand to Esfand (free market).
Years that beat inflation, 1393–1404 (12 years): Gold 8, Dollar 7, Coin 7 — Coin had the best year 7 times.
| Year | Inflation | Real return | BestBest of year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dollar | Coin | Gold | |||
| 1404 (2025) | 42.2% | +14.6% | +37.7% | +53% | Gold |
| 1403 (2024) | 32.5% | +22.3% | +88.7% | +88.1% | Coin |
| 1402 (2023) | 44.6% | −13.2% | −20.4% | −14.8% | Dollar* |
| 1401 (2022) | 43.5% | +27.7% | +89.3% | +49.2% | Coin |
| 1400 (2021) | 43.4% | −23.6% | −19.8% | −20.8% | Coin* |
| 1399 (2020) | 30.6% | +23.1% | +36.9% | +37.9% | Gold |
| 1398 (2019) | 39.9% | −17.4% | −7.6% | +0.2% | Gold |
| 1397 (2018) | 18% | +123% | +144.7% | +137.6% | Coin |
| 1396 (2017) | 8% | +21% | +24.8% | +23.1% | Coin |
| 1395 (2016) | 7.2% | +2.1% | +10.3% | +4% | Coin |
| 1394 (2015) | 12.5% | −8.8% | −4.2% | −4.6% | Coin* |
| 1393 (2014) | 16.6% | −5.1% | −15.4% | −15.3% | Dollar* |
| 1392 (2013) | 36.6% | −35.1% | −48.4% | — | — |
| 1391 (2012) | 27.3% | +39.7% | +38.8% | — | — |
| 12-yr totalCumulative 1393–1404 (12 yrs) | ×18.4 | +187.6% | +985.9% | +884% | Coin: 7 yrs |
| A yearAnnualised | 27.4% | +9.2% | +22% | +21% | — |
* None of the three beat inflation that year; the name is the one that lost least.
Explore every indicator4,738 indicators from 124 datasets, all for Iran
Type in English or Persian — common Persian terms (reserves, exchange rate, exports…) match too.
Sources on this page
- Consumer Price Indicessource updated 1 Oct 2026 933 rows synced 14 hours ago
- International Financial Statistics (IFS)source updated 9 Mar 2025 92,804 rows synced 21 days ago
- World Economic Outlook (WEO)source updated 13 May 2026 1,805 rows synced 21 days ago
- Global Economic Prospectssource updated 7 Mar 2025 10 rows synced 22 days ago
- Macro Poverty Outlooksource updated 16 Sept 2026 2,838 rows synced 14 days ago
- World Development Indicators (WDI)source updated 22 Jun 2026 42,098 rows synced 20 days ago
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) — including IMF, FAO and other institutions' data; synced daily