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E.g., 07/11/2026
Country Resource - Iran
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Iran

IR
  • Population......................................................................................88,386,937 (2024 est.)
  • Population growth rate: ...............................................................................0.88% (2024 est.)
  • Birth rate....................................................................14.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Death rate..................................................................5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Net migration rate............................................-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
  • Ethnic groups.............................Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes

CIA World Factbook

ir map
Profile
September 1, 2006

Iran: A Vast Diaspora Abroad and Millions of Refugees at Home

Iran has long connected the great civilizations of Asia, the Near East and the Mediterranean. But since the Islamic Revolution, hundreds of thousands of highly skilled Iranians have emigrated while millions of refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq have entered the country. Shirin Hakimzadeh takes a detailed look at Iran's past and present migration issues.

Recent Activity

Image of a family in San Francisco
Spotlight
April 17, 2025
Immigrants from Asia in the United States

Nearly one-third of all immigrants in the United States come from Asia, more than any other region except Latin America. Compared to both the U.S. born and overall foreign-born population, immigrants from Asia tend to have higher levels of education and income. This article offers useful statistics about this group, which represents a growing share of the U.S. immigrant population.

An Afghan woman in the Semnan refugee settlement in Iran.
Feature
January 7, 2025
One of the World’s Largest Refugee Populations, Afghans Have Faced Increasing Restrictions in Iran

Iran, host to the world's largest refugee population, has long served as a refuge for Afghans escaping instability and conflict. The government welcomed refugees and other migrants from Afghanistan and beyond in previous eras, but its approach has grown increasingly restrictive in recent years, driven by economic strains and security concerns. This article reviews the periods of forced migration from Afghanistan to Iran and the Iranian government's responses over recent decades.

Afghan refugees in Iran's Semnan refugee settlement.
Feature
March 6, 2024
Iran Faces Dwindling Water and Escalating Climate Pressures, Aggravating Displacement Threats

Floods, heatwaves, and other extreme weather events have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Iran, with repercussions for residents including the 3.4 million refugees and other forced migrants, who are restricted to climate-affected areas. Environmental challenges may also be pushing some people to move internationally. This article offers a rare look at the climate and migration dynamics in Iran.

An Afghan refugee receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Pakistan.
Feature
April 19, 2022
Persistent COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity Has Significant Implications for Refugees and Other Vulnerable Migrants

Most of the world's refugees live in low-income countries where rates of COVID-19 vaccination remain low. Although refugees have been formally included in many governments’ vaccination plans, a combination of factors has made access to jabs difficult, as this article explains.

A girl in Farah province, Afghanistan.
Feature
September 2, 2021
Will the Taliban’s Takeover Lead to a New Refugee Crisis from Afghanistan?

The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has prompted fears of a rollback of human rights and a new refugee crisis. This article examines the prospects for possible future Afghan displacement in the region and beyond by looking at the last four decades of forced migration from Afghanistan and new factors that could determine what happens now that the U.S. military and its allies have pulled out.

A woman holding an Iranian flag at sunset.
Spotlight
July 15, 2021
Immigrants from Iran in the United States

The United States is home to the largest population of Iranian migrants in the world. More than half of Iranian immigrants in the United States live in California. This article explores key details of this immigrant population, which is older, more highly educated, and has significantly higher median household incomes than the U.S.-born and overall immigrant populations.

Scaffolding surrounds a mosque in Iran.
Feature
April 22, 2021
Iran Loses Highly Educated and Skilled Citizens during Long-Running “Brain Drain”

Large numbers of well-educated Iranians have left their country of birth since its 1979 revolution, in a “brain drain” that has held back Iran’s economy and cultural institutions. Iran’s isolation from the world has worsened in recent years, and a stuttering economy, currency freefall, and widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to the underlying factors encouraging emigration, as this article examines.

A man holds a sign protesting the travel ban at an airport
Policy Beat
January 31, 2019
The Travel Ban at Two: Rocky Implementation Settles into Deeper Impacts

Two years after the Trump administration’s much-litigated travel ban was created, the policy has demonstrated a significant impact on the admission of foreigners from the banned countries, while also reshaping U.S. security vetting procedures and the refugee resettlement process in enduring ways, as this article explores on the second-year anniversary.

AfghanRefugees ZsuzsannaGal UNHCR
Top Ten
December 12, 2017
Increased Focus on Forced Return of Migrants and Asylum Seekers Puts Many in Peril

Governments on the receiving end of migrants and refugees reinforced their commitment to returns in 2017, sending or coercing migrants to move back to impoverished or violent homelands. The Dominican Republic pushed out some 70,000 Haitians and native born of Haitian descent, while more than 500,000 Afghans left Iran and Pakistan. Though many of these migrants chose to return, in practice the line between forced and voluntary returns is blurry.

ir map
Profile
September 1, 2006
Iran: A Vast Diaspora Abroad and Millions of Refugees at Home

Iran has long connected the great civilizations of Asia, the Near East and the Mediterranean. But since the Islamic Revolution, hundreds of thousands of highly skilled Iranians have emigrated while millions of refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq have entered the country. Shirin Hakimzadeh takes a detailed look at Iran's past and present migration issues.
Cover image for The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Reports
April 2024

The State of Global Mobility in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic

While human mobility globally has largely recovered from its pandemic-era drop, it is undergoing considerable change. The causes are diverse, from climate shocks and shifting economic conditions to conflict-induced displacement. This report explores how the scale and characteristics of cross-border movement are evolving post-pandemic, featuring case studies from different world regions.