Population: Preliminary results of October 1986 census
listed total population as 48,181,463, including approximately 2.6
million refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq. Population grew at rate
of 3.6 percent per annum between 1976 and 1986. Government figures
showed 50 percent of population under fifteen years of age in 1986.
Education: School system consists of five years of
primary (begun at seven years of age), three years of middle
school, and four years of high school education. High school has
three cycles: academic, science and mathematics, and vocational
technical. Government announced 11.5 million students in above
school system in academic year 1986-87; percentage of school age
population in school not published. Postrevolution decrease in
university enrollments, particularly percentage of women students,
which declined from 40 percent in prerevolutionary period to 10
percent in 1984. Number of students abroad also declined.
Health: Iranian Medical Association reported 12,300
doctors in 1986; 38,000 additional doctors needed to provide
population with minimally adequate health care. Most medical
personnel located in large cities. High infant mortality rate.
Gastrointestinal, parasitic, and respiratory diseases other chief
causes of mortality.
Languages: Persian official language and native tongue of
over half the population. Spoken as a second language by majority
of the remainder. Other Indo-European languages, such as Kirmanji
(the collective term in Iran for the dialects spoken by Kurds), as
well as Turkic languages and Arabic also important.
Gross Domestic Product: About US$168 billion in 1985,
US$165 billion in 1986, and US$176 billion (estimated) in 1987
(figure given at official rate; unofficial rate as much as 10 times
higher for United States dollar value of rial). Percentage of GDP
growth 1.5 percent (real) in 1985 and 10 percent (estimated) in
1986. Inflation rate estimated at 20 percent in 1985, 30 percent in
1986, and 35 percent in 1987. Figures must be regarded with caution
as official sources seriously underestimate rate of inflation and
currency depreciation.
Gross National Product: 1986 estimate US$82.4 billion.
Industry: Oil major industry. In 1986 oil production
averaged 1.9 million barrels per day; in January 1987 crude oil
production averaged 2.2 million barrels per day, of which exports
averaged between 1.5 million and 1.7 million barrels per day.
Reported reserves of 48.5 billion barrels in 1986 ranked Iran
fourth behind Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, and Kuwait. Damage to
Iranian oil installations during 1986-87 reduced oil production and
exports substantially. Natural gas reserves claimed by government
to be 13.8 trillion cubic meters in 1987. Oil and gas produced
estimated 8 percent of GDP in FY 1986-87. Non-oil industry mainly
agricultural products, carpets, textiles, and war-related
manufacturing such as munitions. Industry employed approximately 31
percent of work force in 1987. Manufacturing and mining produced
estimated 23 percent of GDP in FY 1986-87. Services produced
estimated 48 percent of GDP in FY 1986-87.
Agriculture: Accounted for estimated 21 percent of GDP in
FY 1986- 87 and employed approximately 38 percent of work force.
Despite regime efforts to promote self-sufficiency, Iran more
dependent on agricultural imports in 1987 than in 1970s. Lack of
progress resulted from unresolved land reform issues, poor
cultivation practices, lack of farm labor because of military
service, and migration to cities.
Imports: In 1983-84 about US$18.1 billion. Principal
imports: road vehicles and machines (35 percent), manufactures and
iron and steel (29 percent), and food and live animals (13
percent).
Exports: In 1985 about US$13.4 billion, of which all but
about US$270 million from oil and gas. Oil exports in FY 1986-87
estimated between US$10.5 billion and US$11.5 billion; about US$900
million non-oil exports.
Roads: In 1984 a total of 136,381 kilometers of roads, of
which 41 percent paved; of paved roads 16,551 kilometers of main
roads and 34,838 kilometers of secondary roads.
Railroads: About 4,700 kilometers of railroads in 1987,
including newly electrified track in north between Tabriz and Jolfa
for Soviet imports; also rail connection with Turkey.
Pipelines: About 5,900 kilometers for crude oil; 3,900
kilometers for refined products; 3,300 kilometers for natural gas
in 1987; some possibly inoperable as result of war damage.
Airports: In 1987 three international airports: Tehran,
Abadan, and Esfahan. Other airports being expanded and construction
for new ones planned.
Armed Forces: In 1986 army, 305,000; navy, 14,500; air
force, 35,000. Two-thirds of army conscripted; majority of navy and
air force volunteers. Pasdaran (Revolutionary
Guards)--approximately 350,000.
Combat Units and Major Equipment: (Note: because of
wartime losses, equipment estimates were highly tentative.) Army
had three mechanized divisions, each with three brigades--each of
which in turn had three armored and six mechanized battalions,
seven infantry divisions, one airborne brigade, one Special Forces
division composed of four brigades, one Air Support Command, some
independent armored brigades including infantry and "coastal
force," twelve surface-to-air missile (SAM) battalions with
improved Hawk missiles, reserve Qods battalion of ex- servicemen,
about 1,000 tanks, and about 320 combat helicopters. Navy had
fifteen combat vessels and thirty naval aircraft in 1986; by late
1987 only some small patrol craft and a few Hovercraft believed
operable; three marine battalions; naval air had about thirty
aircraft, mainly helicopters. Air force consisted of eight fighter
and fighter-bomber squadrons, one reconnaissance squadron, two
joint tanker-transport squadrons, five light transport squadrons,
and five SAM squadrons; about ninety operational aircraft in 1986.
Pasdaran had possibly eight divisions loosely organized in eleven
regional commands and numerous independent brigades.
Paramilitary: Basij "Popular Mobilization Army"
volunteers--strength varied; in 1986 said to be 3 million.
Military Budget: (figures varied and unreliable) In
1985-86 military budget estimated at US$14.1 billion; total
war-related expenses by 1987 estimated at US$100 billion.
Police and Internal Security Agencies: In 1986
Gendarmerie about 70,000, including border guard; National Police,
approximately 200,000; SAVAMA secret police, number unknown.
