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Iran, Islamic Rep. — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Iran, Islamic Rep., 1990–2025.
Latest value · 2025
40.97%
Labor Force Participation Rate · % of population ages 15+ · -13.1% since 1990
Labor participation for Iran, Islamic Rep. was 40.97% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 47.14% in 1990. The lowest was 40.56% in 2022 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.40% per year.
Iran, Islamic Rep. ranks 175 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 94%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 44.99%, so Iran, Islamic Rep. sits below it. It peaked in 1990 and has fallen 13% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 2%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
40.97%
First (1990)
47.14%
Change
-13.1%
Highest
47.14%
in 1990
Lowest
40.56%
in 2022
Average
43.54%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-0.40%
Years of data
36
Recent years
| Year | % of population ages 15+ |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 40.97% |
| 2024 | 41.27% |
| 2023 | 41.52% |
| 2022 | 40.56% |
| 2021 | 41.04% |
| 2020 | 41.36% |
| 2019 | 44.03% |
| 2018 | 44.39% |
| 2017 | 44.24% |
| 2016 | 43.17% |
| 2015 | 41.94% |
| 2014 | 40.89% |
Reading this correctly. Proportion of the population aged 15 and above that is economically active: supplying labor for the production of goods and services. Figures are in % of population ages 15+. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.