Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran

Iran: Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) was 15.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
15.7%
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
49th
of 113 countries
All-time high
23.1%
in 1986
All-time low
14.1%
in 2016
Years of data
28
1986–2022

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran, 1986–2022

05101520251986200420221986: 23.1 %1990: 20.3 %1994: 20.2 %1998: 19.2 %1999: 20.4 %2000: 20.4 %2001: 18.3 %2002: 18.8 %2003: 19.3 %2004: 19 %2005: 19.3 %2006: 19.4 %2007: 20.8 %2008: 17.8 %2009: 16.4 %2010: 17.5 %2011: 15 %2012: 18.4 %2013: 15.7 %2014: 16.9 %2015: 15.3 %2016: 14.1 %2017: 15.1 %2018: 15.9 %2019: 15.3 %2020: 14.5 %2021: 15.2 %2022: 15.7 %

Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran is 15.7%, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran peaked at 23.1% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 2016.

That places Iran 49th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.

Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran, year by year

Annual values for Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran, 1986 to 2022.
Year % Change
1986 23.1%
1990 20.3% -11.9%
1994 20.2% -0.3%
1998 19.2% -5.0%
1999 20.4% +6.3%
2000 20.4% -0.4%
2001 18.3% -10.2%
2002 18.8% +2.7%
2003 19.3% +3.0%
2004 19.0% -1.9%
2005 19.3% +1.8%
2006 19.4% +0.3%
2007 20.8% +7.5%
2008 17.8% -14.4%
2009 16.4% -7.7%
2010 17.5% +6.3%
2011 15.0% -14.0%
2012 18.4% +22.5%
2013 15.7% -14.8%
2014 16.9% +7.7%
2015 15.3% -9.4%
2016 14.1% -8.1%
2017 15.1% +7.5%
2018 15.9% +5.2%
2019 15.3% -3.8%
2020 14.5% -5.2%
2021 15.2% +5.1%
2022 15.7% +2.7%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 15.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 16.6%, 94% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 15.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 17.8%, 88% of the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 23.1% 23.1% 23.1% 1
1990s 20.0% 19.2% 20.4% 4
2000s 19.0% 16.4% 20.8% 10
2010s 15.9% 14.1% 18.4% 10
2020s 15.1% 14.5% 15.7% 3

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 46 Mauritius 15.9% compare
  2. 47 Vietnam 15.7% compare
  3. 48 Uruguay 15.7% compare
  4. 50 Serbia 15.5% compare
  5. 51 Ghana 15.2% compare
  6. 51 Malawi 15.2% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran?
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran was 15.7% in 2022, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 23.1% in 1986.
What is the lowest income share of the richest 1% (before tax) recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 2016.
How does Iran rank for income share of the richest 1% (before tax)?
Iran ranks 49th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
Is income share of the richest 1% (before tax) rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Income share of the richest 1% (before tax). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Income share of the richest 1% (before tax) in Iran. Statizoid, drawing on World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/incomes-of-the-richest/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Income share of the richest 1% (before tax)
Unit
%
Source
World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
113 places, 3,075 data points, 1820–2024
Last refreshed

Share of income received by the richest 1%. Income here is measured before taxes and benefits.