Iranian Lawmaker Warns of Rapid Rise in Poverty

The number of people living below the poverty line in Iran has reached 28 million, a lawmaker has said, warning that the continuous and rapid surge in poverty “may lead to social and political problems in the not too distant future."

Speaking on July 24, Mohsen Pirhadi, vice chairman of the 7th Development Plan Consolidation Commission, attributed the escalation of poverty to the "economic collapse of certain sections of society over the past decade." 

He warned that failing to address this situation "seriously” in the 7th Development Plan “could lead to a severe crisis in social health."

According to Pirhadi, the increase in poverty has already led to a dramatic increase in "marginalization, addiction, corruption [and] migration to urban centers." 

He did not set a figure for the national poverty line – the estimated minimum level of income needed by Iranians to secure the necessities of life.

But Mohammad Bagheri, a member of the parliament’s Economic Commission, said last month that, due to soaring inflation, Tehran residents now need as much as 30 million tomans ($630) a month to cover their basic necessities.

Also in June, the Research Center of the Iranian parliament reported that approximately 11 million Iranians have plunged into poverty over the course of a decade.

The poverty rate among Iran’s 84-million strong population has sharply risen since 2005, crossing the 30-percent mark by 2017.

Despite promises made by President Ebrahim Raisi to "eradicate absolute poverty" – when household income is below the poverty line – the situation has worsened over the past two years.