Iran’s economy
at a glance
Top-25 economy by PPP, top-5 globally for hydrocarbons, top-15 for minerals — and a 90-million-person consumer base with a median age of 32. Here are the numbers that actually move an allocator’s decision.
GDP (PPP) · Top-25 globally · 90M consumers
Eight figures every investor should know
GDP composition (2025E)
Source: CBI / SCI national accounts, indicative shares
Top non-oil trade flows
Physical & energy capacity
Human capital
Two decades of investor reform
FIPPA enacted
Cornerstone foreign-investment law — full repatriation rights and equal treatment with domestic investors.
IPC framework introduced
New upstream contract model with cost-recovery + performance fee, replacing legacy buy-back contracts.
NIMA institutionalised
Integrated FX system formalised for non-oil export proceeds and inbound capital settlement.
New VAT Act
Replaced the 2008 framework, harmonising rates and broadening the FZ exemption regime.
Capital-market liberalisation
Streamlined trading-code issuance for foreign portfolio investors via CSDI.
AML/CFT modernisation
Continued upgrades to align with FATF technical compliance benchmarks.
Where Iran sits on the world map
| Indicator | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas reserves | #2 globally | BP / OPEC |
| Crude oil reserves | #4 globally | OPEC ASB |
| Zinc reserves | #1 globally | USGS |
| Copper reserves | Top 10 | USGS |
| Iron ore reserves | Top 10 | USGS |
| GDP at PPP | Top 25 | IMF WEO |
| Population | Top 20 | UN DESA |
| STEM graduates / year | Top 5 | UNESCO UIS |
Taxation at a glance
See our taxation & banking guide for the full mechanics of corporate tax, VAT, and how the Free Trade Zone exemptions interact with mainland operations.
The three rates that matter
| Rate | Where it applies | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| NIMA | Non-oil export proceeds, FIPPA-licensed inbound capital, regulated import settlement | CBI-administered platform; the rate at which most institutional flows clear. |
| ETS (interbank) | Authorised bank-to-bank settlement | Tighter spread vs. NIMA; not directly accessible to most corporates. |
| Parallel / free market | Retail, informal trade, unregulated remittance | Highest of the three; investors should NOT model business cases at this rate. |
Seven gateways, one regime
Each Free Trade Zone offers a 20-year corporate tax holiday, 100% foreign ownership, visa-free entry for many nationalities, simplified customs and unrestricted profit transfer — anchored against a specific export corridor.
Kish Island
Qeshm Island
Chabahar
Anzali
Arvand
Maku
Aras
Compare zones side-by-side in our free zones overview or model setup cost in the free-zone calculator.
The numbers that actually drive a foreign investor’s decision
We track 80+ macro and sector indicators across IMF, World Bank, CBI, SCI, Customs, IRICA, and Tehran Chamber sources. This page distils the figures that most affect a typical FDI or portfolio decision into Iran. Sources are listed in our Resources library; we update headline numbers quarterly.
Primary sources
CBI, SCI, IRICA, Tehran Chamber, Ministry of Economy, IMF Article IV, World Bank, OPEC. No second-hand market commentary.
Quarterly refresh
Headline KPIs refreshed within 30 days of each official release. Material revisions are flagged in our Investment Outlook update notes.
Investor-relevant only
We strip out indicators that do not change a foreign-investor decision. Every figure on this page has a "so what" for capital allocators.
Frequently asked questions
How current are these figures?+
Headline numbers are reviewed within 30 days of each official release (CBI, SCI, IRICA). The macro narrative is refreshed in our annual Outlook in January with mid-year updates.
Where do you source FX rates?+
We track NIMA, ETS (interbank) and the parallel rate in our Outlook. For client engagements we model FX scenarios across all three with a documented base case.
How should I think about GDP at PPP vs. nominal?+
Nominal GDP drives the size of dollar-denominated opportunities; PPP gives a truer picture of domestic purchasing power and addressable consumer base — both matter for sizing a market.