Total natural resource rents in Iran

Iran: Total natural resource rents was 30.4% in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
30.4%
Change on year
up 31.0%
World rank
9th
of 211 countries
All-time high
47.8%
in 1974
All-time low
5.6%
in 1986
Years of data
50
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in Iran, 1970–2021

1020304050197019952021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Iran recorded 30.4% for total natural resource rents in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 31.0% on the previous year and up 20.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Iran peaked at 47.8% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 1986.

That places Iran 9th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 28.6% 12.8% 47.8% 10
1980s 17.4% 5.6% 34.5% 10
1990s 21.8% 13.4% 30.8% 8
2000s 28.4% 20.3% 34.8% 10
2010s 22.7% 13.1% 34.2% 10
2020s 26.8% 23.2% 30.4% 2

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 6 East Timor 34.7% compare
  2. 7 Guyana 33.7% compare
  3. 8 Mongolia 33.1% compare
  4. 10 Angola 30.0% compare
  5. 11 Azerbaijan 29.9% compare
  6. 12 Kuwait 29.3% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resource rents in Iran?
Total natural resource rents in Iran was 30.4% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 47.8% in 1974.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 1986.
How does Iran rank for total natural resource rents?
Iran ranks 9th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.