Share of imports that come from China in Iran
Iran: Share of imports that come from China was 21.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of imports that come from China in Iran, 1948–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iran recorded 21.2% for share of imports that come from china in 2025.
The figure is down 15.5% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Iran peaked at 29.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1951.
Iran ranks 69th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of imports that come from China in Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 0.3% | — |
| 1949 | 0.1% | -76.9% |
| 1951 | 0.1% | -9.0% |
| 1966 | 1.6% | +2868.8% |
| 1967 | 0.7% | -57.3% |
| 1968 | 0.2% | -67.7% |
| 1969 | 0.2% | -27.1% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | +409.1% |
| 1974 | 2.6% | +219.7% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -75.3% |
| 1976 | 0.9% | +43.7% |
| 1977 | 0.6% | -38.1% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | -13.1% |
| 1979 | 0.8% | +57.0% |
| 1980 | 0.5% | -37.9% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | +135.9% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -52.0% |
| 1983 | 0.6% | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | -10.5% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -32.2% |
| 1987 | 0.7% | +105.1% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | -21.8% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | -18.4% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | +126.9% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | +16.1% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +34.0% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | -21.9% |
| 1995 | 2.0% | +50.8% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | -14.3% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | +63.2% |
| 1998 | 5.1% | +82.6% |
| 1999 | 5.5% | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -27.8% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +18.1% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | +23.9% |
| 2004 | 4.9% | -15.5% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | +26.7% |
| 2006 | 6.4% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | +35.9% |
| 2008 | 9.5% | +9.3% |
| 2009 | 8.7% | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 17.3% | +97.6% |
| 2012 | 12.7% | -27.0% |
| 2013 | 20.3% | +60.4% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | +20.1% |
| 2015 | 26.2% | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 25.1% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 24.9% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 25.6% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 25.4% | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 24.2% | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 26.7% | +10.5% |
| 2023 | 29.6% | +10.9% |
| 2024 | 25.1% | -15.1% |
| 2025 | 21.2% | -15.5% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 21.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18.5%, 1.1× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iran's 21.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 18.7%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of imports that come from China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | +2868.8% | 0.1% | 1.6% |
| 1973 | +409.1% | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| 1974 | +219.7% | 0.8% | 2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1960s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 1.6% | 4 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.1% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 4.0% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.1% | 8.8% | 26.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.4% | 21.2% | 29.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More economy & growth data for Iran
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -141.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.43 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.019 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 74.73 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 0.3978 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0139 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 54.57 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of imports that come from china in Iran?
- Share of imports that come from china in Iran was 21.2% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1951.
- How does Iran rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Iran ranks 69th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.