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.
Government spending as share of GDP in Iran, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 15.6% | — |
| 1963 | 14.8% | -5.1% |
| 1964 | 15.4% | +4.0% |
| 1965 | 16.3% | +6.2% |
| 1966 | 20.5% | +25.2% |
| 1967 | 22.3% | +8.8% |
| 1968 | 23.6% | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 35.8% | +51.6% |
| 1981 | 33.7% | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 29.7% | -11.8% |
| 1983 | 27.5% | -7.6% |
| 1984 | 23.7% | -13.7% |
| 1985 | 21.6% | -8.8% |
| 1986 | 19.0% | -12.4% |
| 1987 | 18.6% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 23.6% | +26.7% |
| 1989 | 20.0% | -15.2% |
| 1990 | 16.4% | -18.1% |
| 1991 | 14.0% | -14.3% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 27.2% | +88.6% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | -15.6% |
| 1995 | 21.0% | -8.8% |
| 1996 | 17.3% | -17.7% |
| 1997 | 17.4% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 16.9% | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 15.7% | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 13.3% | -15.4% |
| 2001 | 13.6% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 15.6% | +14.8% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 15.1% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 17.9% | +19.0% |
| 2006 | 18.7% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 14.2% | -23.8% |
| 2008 | 16.8% | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 15.7% | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 14.1% | -10.2% |
| 2011 | 14.6% | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | -22.1% |
| 2013 | 11.5% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 12.3% | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +15.3% |
| 2016 | 16.3% | +15.6% |
| 2017 | 16.4% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 14.8% | -10.0% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 12.1% | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 13.4% | +10.0% |
| 2022 | 12.8% | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 12.8% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 14.2% | +11.0% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 14.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.9%, 46% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Iran's 14.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 28.9%, 49% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending as share of GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +88.6% | 14.4% | 27.2% |
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
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.48 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 89.42 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0002 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.9766 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 1.45 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 1.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.003 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 15.83 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 130.68 % change on previous year (1982)
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.
Download this data
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About this data
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.