Economy:

GDP: purchasing power parity-$339.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: -2.1% (1998 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$5,000 (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: 53% (1996 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate: (consumer prices): 24% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 15.4 million

note: shortage of skilled labor

Labor force-by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21% (1988 est.)

Unemployment rate: more than 30% (January 1998 est.)

Budget:

Revenues: $34.6 billion

expenditures: $34.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.8 billion (FY96/97)

Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 5.7% (FY95/96 est.)

Electricity-production: 79.5 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity-production by source:

fossil fuel: 90.57%

hydro: 9.43%

nuclear: 0%

Electricity-consumption: 79.5 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture-products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Exports: $12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports-commodities: petroleum 80%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel

Exports-partners: Japan, Italy, Greece, France, Spain, South Korea

Imports: $13.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports-commodities: machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products

Imports-partners: Germany, Italy, Japan, UAE, UK, Belgium

Debt-external: $21.9 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid-recipient: $116.5 million (1995)

Currency: 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; note-domestic figures are generally referred to in terms of the toman

Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1-1,754.63 (January 1999), 1,751.86 (1998), 1,752.92 (1997), 1,750.76 (1996), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994); black market rate: 7,000 rials per US$1 (December 1998); note-as of May 1995, the "official rate" of 1,750 rials per US$1 is used for imports of essential goods and services and for oil exports, whereas the "official export rate" of 3,000 rials per US$1 is used for non-oil exports and imports not covered by the official rate

Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March