About 26 million Iranians, or 30 per cent of the population, live in absolute poverty, according to a researcher at Iran’s Parliamentary Research Center.
Hadi Mousavi-Nik, a member of the center, said the figure exceeds the global average and reflects the failure of the Islamic Republic’s economic policies.
He added that 4 million Iranians live in extreme poverty, a condition where “people’s income doesn’t even cover their daily food.”
Absolute poverty refers to a state in which individuals cannot meet basic needs for survival, including food, clean water, shelter, and clothing.
Economic experts describe this level of deprivation as evidence of widespread food insecurity and the collapse of purchasing power in Iranian society.
Mousavi-Nik also cited Iran’s Gini coefficient of 39 per cent, an international measure of income inequality, adding that the figure places Iran among “the unequal countries in the world.”
The Gini coefficient, which ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 100 (perfect inequality), has been rising in Iran for years.
The researcher attributed this growing inequality to policies that have concentrated wealth among groups close to centers of power.
His statements come as the government and state media continue to claim economic stability, lower inflation, and improved living conditions.
Iran’s economy has faced severe pressure from international sanctions targeting its oil exports, banking sector, and access to global financial systems.
The Iranian rial has lost significant value against foreign currencies in recent years, while official inflation rates have remained high, with food prices rising especially sharply.
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