Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran
Iran: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 34.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran stood at 34.7%.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran peaked at 37.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 32.8%, in 2019.
That places Iran 6th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 37.5% | — |
| 1992 | 37.5% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 37.2% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 37.1% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 37.0% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 37.3% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 37.0% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 36.8% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 36.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 36.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 36.9% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 37.2% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 37.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 37.3% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 37.2% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 37.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 36.8% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 36.7% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 35.1% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 36.6% | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 35.1% | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 35.5% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 33.7% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 33.2% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 33.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 33.0% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 34.1% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 34.6% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 35.0% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 35.0% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 34.9% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 34.7% | -0.7% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 34.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21.1%, 1.6× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iran's 34.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 25.2%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.1% | 36.8% | 37.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 35.1% | 37.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.4% | 32.8% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.7% | 34.1% | 35.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 46.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 109.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran?
- Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Iran was 34.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 37.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8% in 2019.
- How does Iran rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
- Iran ranks 6th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the industry sector.