The latest statistics on poverty in Iran indicate that one of every three Iranians is below the poverty line. According to reports, Mehdi Bagheri, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament), has stated that the poverty line in Tehran has reached 300 million rials (approximately $600), while some of the regime’s economists have said it is 320 million rials (approximately $640).
On June 19, the state-run newspaper Setareh Sobh quoted a labor activist as saying that the rent for a small 60-square-meter apartment in central Tehran is less than 15 million tomans (approximately $300) per month. A family with two employed individuals is unable to provide for basic needs such as food, housing, and education, and cannot sustain their life on normal wages alone.
The regime’s parliamentary research center has announced that “the poverty line has increased from 19 percent to over 30 percent in a decade, and in fact, more than 30 percent of the population is below the poverty line.”
The minimum wage for the year 1402 (21 March 2023 to 21 March 2024) has been set at 53,073,300 rials (approximately $106), which is 27 percent higher than the minimum wage in 1401 (21 March 2022 to 21 March2023). This minimum wage with all benefits is 85.800 million rials (approximately $171). This means that the minimum wage earner is close to four times below the poverty line.
Mohammad Mehdi Mirbaqeri, a member of the regime’s Assembly of Experts, has stated that the number of people below the poverty line has tripled while the top ten percent of society has become three times richer.
These skyrocketing prices, especially in the food sector, are so high that the regime’s officials are terrified about the potential consequences. Although these figures are much lower than reality, regime officials recommend that people should spend less instead of addressing their most basic needs.
Lotfollah Dezhkam, Friday prayers leader of Shiraz, southwest Iran, said, “We each have an income, more or less. Now they say the majority are below the poverty line, don’t you hear? Even those who are above the poverty line, don’t have much room to spend money, do they? Money always runs short. This is the rule.”
Iran ranks 19th in on the Misery Index among 157 countries, according to a June 2 report by the state-run Tejaratnews daily.
Many food items have disappeared from people’s tables, and the consumption of meat for low-income households is 3 kilograms per year, according to a March 4, 2022, report by the Toseeirani newspaper.
According to the statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), both the production and import of dairy products in Iran have declined significantly in the past year. In contrast, dairy exports have grown by 42 percent and have reached 1.58 million tons, indicating a sharp decline in domestic dairy consumption. (Source: Radio Farda, June 17.)
Meat production in Iran has also seen a significant decline in the past year, and meat imports have decreased. On the other hand, meat smuggling, especially livestock, has increased significantly by regime-affiliated gangs.
The average meat consumption in Europe is between 80 and 90 kilograms. In the United States, New Zealand, Argentina, and Australia, meat consumption ranges from 100 to 150 kilograms per year.
The average per capita meat consumption in the world is 41 kilograms.
The minimum amount of meat needed annually per person is 25 kilograms, while the amount of meat consumed by millions of Iranians is between one and three kilograms per year.
Nevertheless, the consumption of meat of the affluent ranges from 67 to 93 kilograms.
Another effect of poverty in Iranian society is the decrease in the consumption of dairy products in households, which has put the health of the society at risk. The per capita consumption of dairy products in Iran has dropped below 70 kilograms, while in developed countries, the annual per capita consumption of milk is close to 200 kilograms. (Source: Javan newspaper, June 1.)
Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper, an Iranian regime outlet, reported on May 21 that the average bread consumption in Iran is up to three times the global average, which is due to poverty, and bread accounts for 63 percent of the daily food intake of each Iranian household. Wheat is the main food item consumed in Iranian households. Studies on the amount of wheat consumption among different countries in the world show that Iran ranks seventh with an annual per capita consumption of 194 kilograms.
The global per capita wheat consumption is 67 kilograms, while in developed countries it is 60 kilograms.
Iran ranks seventh on the World Bank’s list of the top 10 countries experiencing food insecurity due to inflation.
According to this report, Iran, with an 84 percent inflation rate on food items, ranks after Sri Lanka and before Rwanda. Zimbabwe ranks first with a 321 percent inflation rate.
One of the effects of poverty on the Iranian people is malnutrition, especially among children. According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, in Iran, around 16 percent of children under the age of six suffer from malnutrition, and 800,000 children in their growth years face energy and protein deficiencies. Statistics also show that 11 percent of children in Iran are underweight and 5 percent suffer from severe malnutrition. (Source: Ham-Mihan newspaper, January 30.)
Mohammad Mehdi Nasahi, the CEO of the Health Insurance Organization of the regime, stated that two expensive tests, thyroid testing (thyroid stimulating hormone, TSH) and vitamin D measurement, are not necessary in the country, despite the fact that more than 85 percent of people in Iran suffer from vitamin D deficiency, no need to measure their level or follow them up based on the opinion of endocrinology specialists.
Rouydad24, a state-run website, wrote on September 14, 2018, that one of the effects of poverty is on the dropout rate of students. In 2022, nearly 800,000 children were unable to attend school due to financial constraints.
This has led to an increase in child labor, with official statistics indicating that 2 million children are engaged in child labor, while unofficial statistics indicate that 5 to 8 million children are involved. (Jahan-e Sanat daily, June 13, 2021.)
Therefore, the poverty line of 300 million rials is a result of the destruction and looting of the Iranian economy by the regime, but this cycle of poverty also leads to popular protests.
Mohammad Reza Ghalamreza, the political deputy of the Minister of Interior of the regime, stated that “the current situation is sensitive and difficult.
Do you and I really feel it? Have we felt the level of danger that we suddenly enter into a new battle during the reopening of universities and schools and the anniversary of last year’s protests, and they drag us towards a direction where your priority will no longer be elections…”
