In 2025, Iran's unemployment rate was 8.3 percent, compared with 8.1 percent in the previous year.Â
Employment and economy in Iran
Iran’s unemployment rate has been above 10 percent for the last 10 years, and this rate is estimated to have peaked in 2014, when estimates reached 14 percent. Also, many of those who are considered employed in Iran are also considered underemployed. Unemployment in Iran is especially high among young people and women; over 70 percent of the population’s close to 80 million inhabitants are of working age, increasing the overall demand of these inhabitants for work.
Iran’s economy has also been in a recession, which has exacerbated the difficulties to meet the employment demands of its inhabitants. Although the economy is expected to recover slightly in 2014, Iran's GDP is expected to decrease and the real GDP growth rate is either negative or quite low.
In times of a struggling economy, it is typically more difficult to create jobs and introduce people to the labor force. Because Iran's economic activity still depends to a large extent on oil revenues, this also reduces the stability of the economy and employment. With a decreasing per capita GDP and a high inflation rate people are also more vulnerable to changes in income and employment, making the unemployment a pressing issue that the country will have to manage.
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World Bank. (February 24, 2026). Unemployment rate in Iran from 1991 to 2025 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 22, 2026, from /statistics/294305/iran-unemployment-rate/
World Bank. "Unemployment rate in Iran from 1991 to 2025." Chart. February 24, 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 22, 2026. /statistics/294305/iran-unemployment-rate/
World Bank. (2026). Unemployment rate in Iran from 1991 to 2025. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2026. /statistics/294305/iran-unemployment-rate/
World Bank. "Unemployment Rate in Iran from 1991 to 2025." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 24 Feb 2026, /statistics/294305/iran-unemployment-rate/
World Bank, Unemployment rate in Iran from 1991 to 2025 ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/294305/iran-unemployment-rate/ (last visited July 22, 2026)
Unemployment rate in Iran from 1991 to 2025 [Graph], World Bank, February 24, 2026. [Online]. Available: /statistics/294305/iran-unemployment-rate/