Overview In 2020, Iran was the number 47 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 86 in total exports, the number 71 in total imports, the number 149 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 65 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).

Exports The top exports of Iran are Ethylene Polymers ($2.17B), Crude Petroleum ($1.18B), Other Nuts ($913M), Acyclic Alcohols ($832M), and Semi-Finished Iron ($595M), exporting mostly to China ($5.85B), Turkey ($1.16B), Pakistan ($352M), United Arab Emirates ($345M), and Germany ($302M).

Imports The top imports of Iran are Broadcasting Equipment ($2.23B), Corn ($1.09B), Rice ($885M), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($625M), and Soybeans ($548M), importing mostly from China ($8.51B), United Arab Emirates ($4.53B), India ($2.24B), Turkey ($2.14B), and Germany ($1.68B).

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.

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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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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.

Historical Data

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Top Export (2020): Ethylene Polymers, $2.17B

Top Destination (2020): China, $8.51B

In 2020, Iran exported a total of $10.8B, making it the number 86 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Iran have changed by -$60.1B from $70.8B in 2015 to $10.8B in 2020.

The most recent exports are led by Ethylene Polymers ($2.17B), Crude Petroleum ($1.18B), Other Nuts ($913M), Acyclic Alcohols ($832M), and Semi-Finished Iron ($595M). The most common destination for the exports of Iran are China ($5.85B), Turkey ($1.16B), Pakistan ($352M), United Arab Emirates ($345M), and Germany ($302M).

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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2019 - 2020)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2019 - 2020)

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).

Economic Complexity

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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Iran has a high level of specialization in Knotted Carpets (105), Other Nuts (77.3), Marble, Travertine and Alabaster (76.9), Sheep and Goats (61.3), and Acyclic Alcohols (48.9). 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

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The highest complexity exports of Iran according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Saturated Acyclic Monocarboxylic Acids (1.06), Potato Flours (0.94), Polycarboxylic Acids (0.71), Styrene Polymers (0.7), and Cyclic Hydrocarbons (0.6). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for Iran according to the relatedness index, are Raw Cotton (0.23), Gold (0.22), Other Oily Seeds (0.21), Manganese Ore (0.21), and Legumes (0.2). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Iran is not specialized in.

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

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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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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

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During the last 20 years Iran's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the ⁩⁨53rd to the 65th⁩ 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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