State Capacity Index in Iran

Iran: State Capacity Index was 0.5043 in 2015. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2015)
0.5043
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
81st
of 166 countries
All-time high
0.6616
in 2009
All-time low
-0.3612
in 1960
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Iran, 1960–2015

-0.2500.250.50.75196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Iran recorded 0.5043 for state capacity index in 2015.

The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Iran peaked at 0.6616 in 2009 and was at its lowest, -0.3612, in 1960.

That places Iran 81st out of 166 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

State Capacity Index in Iran, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Iran, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -0.3612
1961 -0.2057 -43.1%
1962 -0.1635 -20.5%
1963 -0.0286 -82.5%
1964 0.0745 -360.7%
1965 0.064 -14.1%
1966 0.2342 +266.0%
1967 0.2049 -12.5%
1968 0.3199 +56.1%
1969 0.2307 -27.9%
1970 -0.1961 -185.0%
1971 -0.2487 +26.8%
1972 -0.1746 -29.8%
1973 -0.1839 +5.3%
1974 0.0406 -122.1%
1975 0.1315 +223.6%
1976 0.1218 -7.4%
1977 0.094 -22.8%
1978 0.144 +53.1%
1979 0.0585 -59.4%
1980 -0.3256 -656.9%
1981 -0.159 -51.2%
1982 -0.1707 +7.4%
1983 -0.2419 +41.7%
1984 -0.3369 +39.3%
1985 -0.1311 -61.1%
1986 -0.0535 -59.2%
1987 -0.0494 -7.6%
1988 -0.068 +37.6%
1989 -0.2238 +229.0%
1990 -0.0301 -86.5%
1991 0.1538 -610.3%
1992 0.3186 +107.2%
1993 0.325 +2.0%
1994 0.4638 +42.7%
1995 0.5563 +19.9%
1996 0.5117 -8.0%
1997 0.5579 +9.0%
1998 0.6182 +10.8%
1999 0.5729 -7.3%
2000 0.5527 -3.5%
2001 0.4452 -19.4%
2002 0.2761 -38.0%
2003 0.2635 -4.6%
2004 0.203 -23.0%
2005 0.4745 +133.7%
2006 0.4342 -8.5%
2007 0.6021 +38.7%
2008 0.6435 +6.9%
2009 0.6616 +2.8%
2010 0.3928 -40.6%
2011 0.4174 +6.3%
2012 0.4483 +7.4%
2013 0.4915 +9.6%
2014 0.5177 +5.3%
2015 0.5043 -2.6%

Iran compared with similar countries

  • Iran's 0.5043 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5986, 84% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Iran's 0.5043 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.2707, 1.9× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where State Capacity Index 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.

YearChange FromTo
1980 -656.9% 0.0585 -0.3256
1991 +610.3% -0.0301 0.1538
1964 +360.7% -0.0286 0.0745

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.0369 -0.3612 0.3199 10
1970s -0.0213 -0.2487 0.144 10
1980s -0.176 -0.3369 -0.0494 10
1990s 0.4048 -0.0301 0.6182 10
2000s 0.4556 0.203 0.6616 10
2010s 0.462 0.3928 0.5177 6

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 78 Cuba 0.566 compare
  2. 79 Ecuador 0.5636 compare
  3. 80 Albania 0.5549 compare
  4. 82 Bolivia 0.5021 compare
  5. 83 El Salvador 0.4873 compare
  6. 84 Cape Verde 0.486 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Iran?
State capacity index in Iran was 0.5043 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 0.6616 in 2009.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was -0.3612 in 1960.
How does Iran rank for state capacity index?
Iran ranks 81st out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Iran. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/iran-islamic-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.