Government spending as share of GDP in Iran
Iran: Government spending as share of GDP was 14.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Government spending as share of GDP in Iran, 1962–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2024, government spending as share of gdp in Iran stood at 14.2%.
That represents a change of up 11.0% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Iran peaked at 35.8% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 11.4%, in 2012.
Iran ranks 143rd of 151 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.3% | 14.8% | 23.6% | 7 |
| 1980s | 25.3% | 18.6% | 35.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.3% | 14.0% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 13.3% | 18.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.9% | 11.4% | 16.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 12.1% | 14.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More economy & growth data for Iran
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP -8.7% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 42.2% (2025)
- GDP per capita 5,617 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 20.6% (2024)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 519.15 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 5,617 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 742,604 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 24.25 trillion current LCU (2015)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 819.70 million current US$ (2015)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 7,193.77 trillion current LCU (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending as share of gdp in Iran?
- Government spending as share of gdp in Iran was 14.2% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 35.8% in 1980.
- What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.4% in 2012.
- How does Iran rank for government spending as share of gdp?
- Iran ranks 143rd out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.