Iran Demography

According to the demographics of Iran, the total population of the country has been estimated to be 65,397,521 in the 2008 census. Iran is a country of ethic and linguistic diversities. There are various ethnic groups in certain cities of Iran. The five cities in the country which are most populated are Tehran, Mashad, Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz. A notable feature of the demographics of Iran is the high literacy rate which is over 80%.

Roughly 70% of the people of Iran speak Iranian languages with major groups including Persians, Kurds, Gilakis, Mazandaranis, Lurs, and Baluchis. The rest are mainly Turkic, like the Turkmen, Azeri, the Qashqai, Arabs, Armenians and Assyrians.

In terms of religious affiliations, the majority of the Iranians are Muslims; of which 90% belong to the Shia branch of Islam, the official state religion and 9% belong to the Sunni branch. The non-Muslim minorities in Iran comprise of the Zoroastrians, Jews, Baha'is, Mandeans and Christians.

Demographics Statistics

Population: 65,397,521 (July 2008 est.)

Age Structure
0-14 years: 23.2% (male 7,783,794/female 7,385,721)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 23,636,883/female 23,088,934)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,701,727/female 1,800,462) (2008 est.)

Median Age Total: 25.8 years
Male: 25.6 years
Female: 26 years (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 0.663% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 16.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 5.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.054 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.945 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.026 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate: total: 38.12 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 38.29 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 37.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 70.56 years
Male: 69.12 years
Female: 72.07 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 1.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Iranian(s)
Adjective: Iranian

Ethnic Groups
Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Religions Affiliation
Muslim 98% (Shi'a 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%

Languages
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79.4%
Male: 85.6%
Female: 73% (2003 est.)

This article provides an overview of the demographics of Iran. For more on Iran, visit- 123independenceday.com