Total natural resource rents in Iran
Iran: Total natural resource rents was 30.4% in 2021. ▬ Flat
Total natural resource rents in Iran, 1970–2021
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%.
Total natural resource rents in Iran, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12.8% | — |
| 1971 | 16.5% | +29.0% |
| 1972 | 17.6% | +6.8% |
| 1973 | 19.3% | +9.8% |
| 1974 | 47.8% | +147.7% |
| 1975 | 38.1% | -20.2% |
| 1976 | 33.9% | -11.2% |
| 1977 | 30.3% | -10.5% |
| 1978 | 32.4% | +7.0% |
| 1979 | 37.0% | +14.0% |
| 1980 | 34.5% | -6.7% |
| 1981 | 27.3% | -20.9% |
| 1982 | 20.0% | -26.6% |
| 1983 | 16.2% | -18.8% |
| 1984 | 15.2% | -6.6% |
| 1985 | 13.4% | -11.9% |
| 1986 | 5.6% | -57.9% |
| 1987 | 12.2% | +116.3% |
| 1988 | 11.7% | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 18.4% | +57.3% |
| 1990 | 24.0% | +30.4% |
| 1993 | 30.8% | +28.6% |
| 1994 | 25.8% | -16.3% |
| 1995 | 20.8% | -19.5% |
| 1996 | 21.0% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 19.8% | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 13.4% | -32.2% |
| 1999 | 18.6% | +39.1% |
| 2000 | 33.1% | +77.6% |
| 2001 | 24.1% | -27.3% |
| 2002 | 22.9% | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 24.2% | +5.6% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | +12.7% |
| 2005 | 34.5% | +26.6% |
| 2006 | 34.8% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 29.2% | -16.1% |
| 2008 | 33.5% | +14.9% |
| 2009 | 20.3% | -39.3% |
| 2010 | 23.1% | +13.4% |
| 2011 | 25.3% | +9.9% |
| 2012 | 21.1% | -16.7% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | +18.1% |
| 2014 | 24.9% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 15.2% | -38.7% |
| 2016 | 13.1% | -13.8% |
| 2017 | 17.5% | +33.0% |
| 2018 | 34.2% | +96.0% |
| 2019 | 27.8% | -18.8% |
| 2020 | 23.2% | -16.4% |
| 2021 | 30.4% | +31.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 30.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.8%, 16.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 30.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.1%, 5.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total natural resource rents in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +147.7% | 19.3% | 47.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Enteric Fermentation 35,629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Crop Residues 1,936 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 34.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Burning - Crop residues 281.19 (2050)
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
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.