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2021
Economic Complexity
Trade -0.091Rank 67 of 131
2021
Economic Complexity
Technology 0.096Rank 48 of 96
2021
Economic Complexity
Research 0.54Rank 36 of 140
2021
Product
Exports | Imports $14B | $28.7B85 of 226 |  70 of 226
2021
Per Capita Product
Exports | Imports $159 | $326132 of 220 |  192 of 220

About

Overview In 2021, Iran was the number 41 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 85 in total exports, the number 70 in total imports, the number 132 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 67 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) .

Exports The top exports of Iran are Ethylene Polymers ($3.2B), Other Nuts ($925M), Semi-Finished Iron ($816M), Refined Copper ($673M), and Acyclic Alcohols ($561M), exporting mostly to China ($5.94B), Turkey ($2.72B), Pakistan ($614M), Armenia ($406M), and India ($379M).

Imports The top imports of Iran are Broadcasting Equipment ($3.86B), Corn ($1.52B), Soybeans ($870M), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($734M), and Rice ($671M), importing mostly from China ($8.27B), United Arab Emirates ($6.58B), Turkey ($2.66B), Brazil ($1.94B), and Germany ($1.64B).

Location Iran borders Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan by land and Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates by sea.

Latest Trends

Latest Trade

Flow
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Y-AXIS SCALE

The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Iran.

Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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Latest Data

Flow
Color
Depth

The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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Historical Data

Yearly Trade

Flow
Color
Depth
Top Export (2021)Ethylene Polymers$3.2B
Top Destination (2021)China$5.94B

In 2021, Iran exported a total of $14B, making it the number 85 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Iran have changed by -$61.9B from $75.9B in 2016 to $14B in 2021.

The most recent exports are led by Ethylene Polymers ($3.2B), Other Nuts ($925M), Semi-Finished Iron ($816M), Refined Copper ($673M), and Acyclic Alcohols ($561M). The most common destination for the exports of Iran are China ($5.94B), Turkey ($2.72B), Pakistan ($614M), Armenia ($406M), and India ($379M).

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Exports (2021)
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Destinations (2021)
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Market Growth

Flow
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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2020 - 2021)
Turkey$1.57B (+ 136%)
Pakistan$263M (+ 75.1%)
Kuwait$145M (+ 67.3%)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2020 - 2021)
United Arab Emirates$2.05B (+ 45.1%)
Brazil$784M (+ 67.8%)
Turkey$515M (+ 24.1%)

Total Export Growth by Market (2020 - 2021)

Service Trade

Service Trade

Iran Exports Services (2017)$9.85B
Iran Imports Services (2017)$17.3B

In 2017, Iran exported $9.85B worth of services. The top services exported by Iran in 2017 were Transportation ($3.75B), Personal travel ($3.59B), Construction services ($881M), Business travel ($812M), and Other business services ($456M).

The top services imported by Iran in 2017 were Personal travel ($9.41B), Transportation ($2.86B), Business travel ($1.89B), Other business services ($928M), and Construction services ($760M).

Service Exports (2017)

Service Imports (2017)

Economic Complexity

Overview

Economic Complexity (Trade)-0.091Rank 67 of 131
Economic Complexity (Technology)0.096Rank 48 of 96
Economic Complexity (Research)0.54Rank 36 of 140

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

Iran has a high level of specialization in Sheep and Goats (167), Knotted Carpets (116), Marble, Travertine and Alabaster (97.6), Other Nuts (70.5), and Ethylene Polymers (48.6). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Iran observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

The highest complexity exports of Iran according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Glass; drawn glass and blown glass, in sheets, whether or not having... (1.81), Glass; cast glass and rolled glass in sheets or profiles, whether or... (1.11), Glass mirrors; whether or not framed, including rear-view mirrors (1.02), Nitrogen-function compounds, n.e.c. in chapter 29 (1), and Acids; saturated acyclic monocarboxylic acids and their anhydrides, halides, peroxides and peroxyacids;... (0.85). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

The top export opportunities for Iran according to the relatedness index, were Crude Petroleum (0.25), Raw Cotton (0.23), Gold (0.23), Manganese Ore (0.22), and Dried Legumes (0.21). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Iran is not specialized in.

Product Space

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Iran. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Iran exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

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Depth

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

Methodology
Scale

During the last 20 years Iran's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the ⁩⁨65th to the 67th⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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ECI (Trade) Ranking by Country

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