The newspaper Asre-eghtesad criticized the “fabrication of statistics” by government institutions, quoting Hamidreza Ghasemi, an economic researcher, who described the reported statistics on the alleged reduction of over 24 percentage points in inflation since March 2023 as “playing with the indexes.”
Hamidreza Ghasemi, an economic researcher, told the newspaper Asre-eghtesad that “these indexes are about torturing the statistics to reach a number that is more of a joke and ridicule.”
He commented on the fabricated statistics of reduced inflation, saying, “Both in people’s lives and in investments in various markets, and in the aspect of the middle class becoming poorer, the reported statistics are not what we feel.”
Additionally, Gholamreza Alizadeh, a researcher, university lecturer, and economist, emphasized that “the reported statistics are artificial,” stating, “Usually, we [Iranian regime experts] manipulate the statistics as we wish by increasing or decreasing them to alter them.”
Alizadeh highlighted the contradiction between the Statistics Center and the Central Bank, saying, “The two major organizations and institutions providing statistics are so contradictory, the Statistics Center announces one inflation rate, and the Central Bank announces another. The dispute over the authority to provide statistics continues between these two institutions.”
Criticizing the Iranian regime officials’ claims about fabricated statistics, this economist said, “One of the officials, despite the flood sweeping away people’s cars, says it’s nothing, just waterlogging. This is very bad because we are in a situation where information circulates very quickly through satellites and social media and news networks.”
Alizadeh explained the claim of reduced inflation, stating, “Usually, inflation is calculated from around 400 items. They might replace items that have a significant impact with other items, which affects the inflation rate.”
He cited the housing issue as an example, saying, “The average price per square meter of housing in Tehran has reached about 810 million rials (approximately 1,314 dollars), while now, housing rents in major cities do not match incomes at all.”
He emphasized that “when it is said that inflation has decreased from 15 percent to 10 percent, it means the rate of price increase has decreased from 15 percent to 10 percent,” therefore, “a decrease in inflation does not mean that goods have become cheaper or their prices have decreased, but rather the speed of price increase has slowed down.”
This university lecturer spoke about the selective reporting of fabricated statistics by Iranian regime officials, saying, “Statistics are the most scientific method with which one can lie,” adding, “Sometimes statistics are presented point to point, sometimes monthly, and sometimes semi-annually compared to the previous semi-annual period. We take statistics in whatever way benefits us.”
He mentioned that in Iranian regime institutions, “the statistician considers factors that show the organization’s performance in a good light,” saying, “In this way, instead of conducting statistical analysis, we engage in statistical fabrication, which has led to our policymaking and planning being based on unrealistic algorithms.”
Iran’s economy has faced multiple challenges, including high inflation in recent years. Regime officials and state media try to present the 40.7 percent inflation rate as an “achievement for themselves.” They point to the point-to-point decrease in inflation throughout 2023, claiming it shows the effectiveness of government policies. However, experts believe that the annual inflation rate is a more accurate indicator of the inflation situation in Iran, as it shows the average price increase over a year.
Experts have repeatedly emphasized that governments in the Iranian regime manipulate indexes or shift time bases, effectively engaging in statistical fabrication to create “achievements.”
