Editing Iran (section)

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Iran}}
{{#invoke:multiple image|
| perrow            = 1
| total_width       = 200
| image1            = Provinces of Iran by population.svg
| image2            = Iran Counties by Population (2021).svg
| footer            = Population of Iranian provinces and counties in 2021
}}

Iran's population grew rapidly from about 19&nbsp;million in 1956 to about 85 million by February 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=درگاه ملی آمار |url=https://amar.org.ir/statistical-information |access-date=14 February 2023 |website=درگاه ملی آمار ایران |archive-date=25 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325224203/https://amar.org.ir/statistical-information |url-status=live}}</ref> However, Iran's [[Total fertility rate|fertility rate]] has dropped dramatically, from 6.5 children born per woman to about 1.7 two decades later,<ref>Latest Statistical Center of Iran fertility rate statistics (published February 2023). [https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/461/Files/26322/Mizan_Barvari_Kol_1400.xlsx xlsx] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522140324/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/PropertyAgent/461/Files/26322/Mizan_Barvari_Kol_1400.xlsx |date=22 May 2023 }} at [https://www.amar.org.ir/پایگاه-ها-و-سامانه-ها/سریهای-زمانی/agentType/ViewType/PropertyTypeID/1936 page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326043023/https://www.amar.org.ir/پایگاه-ها-و-سامانه-ها/سریهای-زمانی/agentType/ViewType/PropertyTypeID/1936 |date=26 March 2023 }}.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roser |first=Max |date=19 February 2014 |title=Fertility Rate |url=https://ourworldindata.org/fertility-rate |journal=Our World in Data |access-date=11 July 2020 |archive-date=21 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121073056/https://ourworldindata.org/fertility-rate |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Children per woman |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-per-woman-UN |access-date=11 July 2020 |website=Our World in Data |archive-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703175339/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-per-woman-un |url-status=live}}</ref> leading to a population growth rate of about 1.39% as of 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Population growth (annual %) – Iran, Islamic Rep. {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW?locations=IR&view=chart |access-date=11 July 2020 |website=data.worldbank.org |archive-date=11 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711223056/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.GROW?locations=IR&view=chart |url-status=live}}</ref> Due to its young population, studies project that the growth will continue to slow until it stabilises at around 105&nbsp;million by 2050.<ref name="bureau">U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2005. Unpublished work tables for estimating Iran's mortality. Washington, D.C.:
Population Division, International Programs Center</ref><ref name="payvand">{{cite web |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/04/aug/1017.html |title=Iran's population growth rate falls to 1.5 percent: UNFP |first=Payvand.com |last=Iran News |access-date=18 October 2006 |archive-date=27 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227193340/http://www.payvand.com/news/04/aug/1017.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/ |title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations |website=esa.un.org |access-date=25 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/ |archive-date=19 September 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Iran hosts one of the largest [[refugee]] populations, with almost one million,<ref>{{cite web |title=Refugee population by country or territory of asylum – Iran, Islamic Rep. {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SM.POP.REFG?end=2019&locations=IR&start=1990&view=chart |access-date=11 July 2020 |website=data.worldbank.org |archive-date=11 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711231102/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SM.POP.REFG?end=2019&locations=IR&start=1990&view=chart |url-status=live}}</ref> mostly from [[Afghan refugees|Afghanistan]] and [[Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77107 |title=Afghanistan-Iran: Iran says it will deport over one million Afghans |publisher=Irinnews.org |date=4 March 2008 |access-date=21 June 2013 |archive-date=2 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902170454/http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77107 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran|Iranian Constitution]], the government is required to provide every citizen with access to [[social security]], covering retirement, unemployment, old age, [[disability]], accidents, calamities, health and medical treatment and care services.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/77421/june2003/ppt/w1/iran.pdf |title=Iran Social Security System |publisher=World Bank |date=2003 |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208125524/http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/77421/june2003/ppt/w1/iran.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> This is covered by [[Taxation in Iran|tax revenues]] and income derived from public contributions.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://aprendeenlinea.udea.edu.co/revistas/index.php/lecturasdeeconomia/article/view/15770/17868 |title=Is tax funding of health care more likely to be regressive than systems based on social insurance in low and middle-income countries? |newspaper=Universidad de Antioquia |date=2013 |author=Aurelio Mejيa |issue=78 |pages=229–239 |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-date=16 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216074956/http://aprendeenlinea.udea.edu.co/revistas/index.php/lecturasdeeconomia/article/view/15770/17868 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The country has one of the highest urban growth rates in the world. From 1950 to 2002, the urban proportion of the population increased from 27% to 60%.<ref name="payvand2">{{cite web |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/03/nov/1135.html |title=Iran: Focus on reverse migration |work=Payvand |access-date=17 April 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060326185508/http://www.payvand.com/news/03/nov/1135.html |archive-date=26 March 2006}}</ref> Iran's population is concentrated in its western half, especially in the north, north-west and west.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population distribution – The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/field/population-distribution/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=cia.gov |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006203129/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/field/population-distribution/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tehran, with a population of around 9.4&nbsp;million, is Iran's capital and largest city. The country's second most populous city, [[Mashhad]], has a population of around 3.4&nbsp;million, and is capital of the province of [[Razavi Khorasan province|Razavi Khorasan]]. [[Isfahan]] has a population of around 2.2&nbsp;million and is Iran's third most populous city. It is the capital of [[Isfahan province]] and was also the third capital of the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid Empire]].

{{Largest cities of Iran|class=info}}

=== Ethnic groups ===
{{Main|Ethnicities in Iran}}

Ethnic group composition remains a point of debate, mainly regarding the largest and second largest ethnic groups, the Persians and Azerbaijanis, due to the lack of Iranian state censuses based on ethnicity

According to an 2003 estimate, the [[Persians]] make up the 51% of population, while the [[Iranian Azerbaijanis|Azerbaijanis]] make up the 24%, [[Gilaks]] and [[Mazanderani people|Mazenderanis]] up the 8%, Kurds up the 7%, [[Iranian Arabs|Arabs]] up the 3%, [[Lurs]] up the 2%, [[Baloch people|Balochis]] up the 2%, [[Iranian Turkmens|Turkmens]] up the 2% and other groups (including [[Iranian Armenians|Armenians]], Jews, [[Assyrians in Iran|Assyrians]], [[Qashqai people|Qashqai]], [[Shahsevan]]) up the 1%.{{Sfn|Tohidi|2009|p=300}} The [[Library of Congress]] in 2008 issued slightly different estimates: 65% Persians (also including Gilaks and Mazenderanis{{Efn|"The ''Factbook'' puts 'Persian and Persian dialects' at 58 percent, but 51 percent of the population as ethnic Persians, while the Library of Congress states that Persian 'is spoken as a mother tongue by at least 65 percent of the population and as a second language by a large proportion of the remaining 35 percent. The 'Persian' mentioned in the latter report must thus also include Gilaki and Mazi. However, Gilaki and Mazi are actually from a different branch of the Iranian language subfamily than Persian, and could be as such be seen not as dialects, but as distinct languages. Suffice it here to say that while some scholars see categories such as Gilakis and Mazandaranis as referring to separate ethnic groups due to their linguistic traits, others count them as 'Persians' on exactly the same basis."{{sfn|Elling|2013|p=19}}}}), 16% Azerbaijanis, 7% Kurds, 6% Lurs, 2% Arabs, 2% Balochis, 1% Turkic tribal groups (such as Qashqai), and non-Persian, non-Turkic groups (including Armenians, [[Iranian Georgians|Georgians]], Assyrians, [[Circassians in Iran|Circassians]], and Arabs) less than 1%.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Curtis |first1=Glenn E. |last2=Hooglund |first2=Eric |date=May 2008 |title=Country Profile: Iran |url=http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/profiles/Iran.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927105102/http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/profiles/Iran.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2015 |access-date= |website= |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |page=5 |via=[[Federal Research Division]] }}</ref>

[[Ethnic-based discrimination in Iran|Ethnic based discrimination]] is prevalent in Iran. Minorities in Iran have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing crackdown aimed at repressing the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement, according to the UN Fact-Finding Mission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iran have been disproportionally impacted in ongoing crackdown to repress the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, UN Fact-Finding Mission says |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/08/minorities-iran-have-been-disproportionally-impacted-ongoing-crackdown |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=OHCHR |language=en}}</ref>

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Iran}}
[[File:I am Cyrus, Achaemenid King - Pasargady01.jpg|thumb|"I am [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]] the king, an [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]]", in [[Old Persian cuneiform|Old Persian]], [[Elamite language|Elamite]] and [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] languages; [[Pasargadae]], [[World Heritage Site]].]]
Most of the population speaks [[Persian language|Persian]], the country's [[official language|official]] and [[national language]].<ref name="AO">{{Cite web |title=Constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran, Chapter II: The Official Language, Script, Calendar, and Flag of the Country, Article 15 |url=https://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution_ch02.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730024031/https://www.iranchamber.com/government/laws/constitution_ch02.php |archive-date=30 July 2022 |access-date=9 June 2023 |website=Iran Chamber Society}}</ref> Others include speakers of other [[Iranian languages]], within the greater [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] family, and languages belonging to other ethnicities. The [[Gilaki language|Gilaki]] and [[Mazanderani language|Mazenderani]] languages are widely spoken in [[Gilan Province|Gilan]] and [[Mazandaran Province|Mazenderan]], northern Iran. The [[Talysh language]] is spoken in parts of Gilan. Varieties of [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] are concentrated in the province of [[Kurdistan Province|Kurdistan]] and nearby areas. In [[Khuzestan Province|Khuzestan]], [[Persian dialects in Khuzestan|several dialects of Persian]] are spoken. South Iran also houses the [[Luri language|Luri]] and [[Achomi language|Lari]] languages.

[[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], the most-spoken minority language in the country,<ref>Annika Rabo, Bo Utas. [https://books.google.com/books?id=rWEbrv5oD8AC ''The Role of the State in West Asia''] Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, 2005 {{ISBN|91-86884-13-1}}</ref> and other [[Turkic languages]] and dialects are found in various regions, especially [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Azerbaijan]]. Notable minority languages include [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic]], and [[Arabic]]. [[Khuzestani Arabic|Khuzi Arabic]] is spoken by the [[Ahwazi Arabs|Arabs in Khuzestan]], and the wider group of [[Iranian Arabs]]. [[Circassian languages|Circassian]] was also once widely spoken by the large Circassian minority, but, due to assimilation, no sizable number of Circassians speak the language anymore.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA141 ''Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402135910/https://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA141#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=2 April 2024 }} Facts On File, Incorporated {{ISBN|1-4381-2676-X}} p. 141</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/georgia-iv--2 |title=Georgia viii: Georgian communities in Persia |last1=Oberling |first1=Pierre |date=7 February 2012 |website=[[Encyclopaedia Iranica]] |access-date=9 June 2014 |archive-date=17 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517031826/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/georgia-iv--2 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mcha.kbsu.ru/english/m_hist_01E.htm.html |title=Circassian |publisher=Official Circassian Association |access-date=9 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035542/http://mcha.kbsu.ru/english/m_hist_01E.htm.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://iranian.com/Travelers/June97/Chardin/index.shtml |title=Persians: Kind, hospitable, tolerant flattering cheats? |first1=Sir John |last1=Chardin |author-link=Jean Chardin |date=June 1997 |journal=[[Iranian.com|The Iranian]] |access-date=9 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970620173929/http://www.iranian.com/Travelers/June97/Chardin/index.shtml |archive-date=20 June 1997 |url-status=live}} Excerpted from:
* {{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jPL0A31H5MC&pg=PA183 |chapter=Book 2, Chapter XI: Of the Temper, Manners, and Customs of the Persians: A XVII th. Century Viewpoint |first1=Sir John |last1=Chardin |author-link=Jean Chardin |title=Travels in Persia, 1673–1677 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5jPL0A31H5MC |location=New York |publisher=Dover Publications |year=1988 |pages=183–197 |isbn=978-0-486-25636-8 |oclc=798310290 |access-date=9 June 2014 |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211033457/https://books.google.com/books?id=5jPL0A31H5MC |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Iran}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:1em; font-size: 88%; float:right; clear:right"
|+ Religion in Iran (2011 census)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Selected Findings of the 2011 National Population and Housing Census |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/census/documents/Iran/Iran-2011-Census-Results.pdf |website=United Nations |publisher=Statistical Center of Iran |access-date=7 June 2024 |archive-date=12 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512001151/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/census/documents/Iran/Iran-2011-Census-Results.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><br /><small>Note: other groups were excluded</small>
|- style="background:#ccf;"
| style="text-align:center" | '''Religion''' || style="background:#ccf; text-align:center" | '''Percent''' || style="background:#ccf; text-align:center" | '''Number'''
|-
| [[Islam in Iran|Islam]] || style="text-align:center" | 99.4% || style="text-align:right" | 74,682,938
|-
| [[Christianity in Iran|Christianity]] || style="text-align:center" | 0.2% || style="text-align:right" | 117,704
|-
| [[Zoroastrianism in Iran|Zoroastrianism]]|| style="text-align:center" | 0.03% || style="text-align:right" | 25,271
|-
| [[Iranian Jews|Judaism]]|| style="text-align:center" | 0.01% || style="text-align:right" | 8,756
|-
| other || style="text-align:center" | 0.07% || style="text-align:right" | 49,101
|-
| undeclared || style="text-align:center" | 0.4% || style="text-align:right" | 265,899
|}

[[Twelver Shi'ism|Twelver Shi'a]] sect [[Islam]] is the [[state religion]], to which 90–95% of Iranians adhere;<ref>{{cite book |author=Walter Martin |title=Kingdom of the Cults, The |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yra4KhlMBYQC&pg=PA421 |access-date=24 June 2013 |quote=Ninety-five percent of Iran's Muslims are Shi'ites. |year=2003 |publisher=Baker Books |isbn=978-0-7642-2821-6 |page=421 |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211033458/https://books.google.com/books?id=Yra4KhlMBYQC&pg=PA421 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Bhabani Sen Gupta |title=The Persian Gulf and South Asia: prospects and problems of inter-regional cooperation |quote=Shias constitute seventy-five percent of the population of the Gulf. Of this, ninety-five percent of Iranians and sixty of Iraqis are Shias. |year=1987 |publisher=South Asian Publishers |isbn=978-81-7003-077-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/persiangulfsouth0000unse/page/158 158] |url=https://archive.org/details/persiangulfsouth0000unse/page/158}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/iran/ |title=Iran |access-date=8 March 2024 |archive-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225100641/https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/iran/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smyth |first=Gareth |date=2016-09-29 |title=Removal of the heart: how Islam became a matter of state in Iran |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/29/iran-shia-islam-matter-of-state |access-date=2024-05-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=13 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713043734/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/29/iran-shia-islam-matter-of-state |url-status=live}}</ref> about 5–10% are in the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Sufism|Sufi]] branches of Islam.<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107142508/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html |archive-date=2017-11-07 |access-date=2019-10-22 |website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> According to the World Values Survey, 96.6% of Iranian respondents believe in [[Islam]], while 4.1% claim that religion is "not at all important" in life.<ref name="worldvaluessurvey.org">
{{cite report 
|last1=Haerpfer 
|first1=C. <!-- The website doesn't give full first names --> 
|last2=Inglehart 
|first2=R.
|last3=Moreno
|first3=A.
|last4=Weltzer
|first4=C.
|last5=Kizilova
|first5=K.
|last6=Diez-Medrano
|first6=J.
|last7=Lagos
|first7=M.
|last8=Norris
|first8=P.
|last9=Ponarin
|first9=E.
|last10=Punaren
|first10=B.
|title=World Values Survey Wave 7 (2017-2022) v6.0
|date=2024 
|url=https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSDocumentationWV7.jsp <!-- Individual PDF documents do not have a direct URL -->
|doi=10.14281/18241.24
|pages=163, 891
|publisher=World Values Survey Association 
|doi-broken-date=29 April 2025 
}}</ref>

There is a large population of adherents to [[Yarsanism]], a [[Kurds in Iran|Kurdish]] indigenous religion, estimated to be over half a million to one million followers.<ref>''Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa'' (Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2004) p. 82</ref>{{sfnp|Hamzeh'ee|1990|p=39}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 November 2019 |title=In pictures: Inside Iran's secretive Yarsan faith |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50378946 |access-date=24 March 2024 |language=en-GB |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526153448/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50378946 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Monazzami |first=Ardeshir |date=20 February 2022 |title=Rereading the Religiosity of Yarsan |url=https://adyan.urd.ac.ir/article_136086_en.html |journal=Religious Research |language=en |volume=9 |issue=18 |pages=143–167 |doi=10.22034/jrr.2021.261350.1805 |issn=2345-3230 |access-date=24 March 2024 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324104814/https://adyan.urd.ac.ir/article_136086_en.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Men and women have equal rights in the Yarsan community' |url=https://test.jinhaagency.com/en/community-life/men-and-women-have-equal-rights-in-the-yarsan-community-33444 |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=JINHAGENCY News |language=en |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324104813/https://test.jinhaagency.com/en/community-life/men-and-women-have-equal-rights-in-the-yarsan-community-33444 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Baháʼí Faith]] is not officially recognised and has been subject to official persecution.<ref name="fdih2">{{cite web |author=International Federation for Human Rights |date=1 August 2003 |title=Discrimination against religious minorities in Iran |url=http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ir0108a.pdf |access-date=3 September 2020 |publisher=fdih.org |page=6 |archive-date=31 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031221624/http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ir0108a.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Since the Revolution, the [[persecution of Baháʼís]] has increased.<ref name="ihrdc">{{cite web |author=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center |year=2007 |title=A Faith Denied: The Persecution of the Bahل'يs of Iran |url=http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/pdfs/Reports/bahai_report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611140854/http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/pdfs/Reports/bahai_report.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2007 |access-date=19 March 2007 |publisher=Iran Human Rights Documentation Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kamali |first=Saeed |date=27 February 2013 |title=Bahل'ي student expelled from Iranian university 'on grounds of religion' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/27/bahai-student-expelled-iranian-university |access-date=21 June 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |archive-date=7 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507194258/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/27/bahai-student-expelled-iranian-university |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Irreligion]] is not recognised by the government.

[[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], and the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] branch of Islam are officially recognised by the government and have reserved seats in the Parliament.<ref name="Colin Brock p 99">Colin Brock, Lila Zia Levers. [https://books.google.com/books?id=rOJsCQAAQBAJ ''Aspects of Education in the Middle East and Africa''] Symposium Books Ltd., 7 mei 2007 {{ISBN|1-873927-21-5}} p. 99</ref> Iran is home to the largest Jewish community in the [[Muslim world|Muslim World]] and the [[Middle East]], outside of Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Population of the World |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-of-the-world |access-date=2019-10-22 |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013082335/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-population-of-the-world |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=In Iran, Mideast's largest Jewish population outside Israel finds new acceptance by officials |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/in-iran-mideasts-largest-jewish-population-outside-israel-finds-new-acceptance-by-officials/ |access-date=1 September 2015 |website=[[Fox News]] |date=24 March 2015 |archive-date=14 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014124935/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/11/26/in-iran-mideast-largest-jewish-population-outside-israel-finds-new-acceptance/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Around 250,000 to 370,000 [[Christianity in Iran|Christians reside in Iran]], and Christianity is the country's largest recognised minority religion, most are of Armenian background, as well as a sizable minority of Assyrians.<ref name="IRFR2009-Iran">{{cite web |author=U.S. State Department |date=26 October 2009 |title=Iran – International Religious Freedom Report 2009 |url=https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127347.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029231558/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127347.htm |archive-date=29 October 2009 |publisher=The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affair}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=2011 General Census Selected Results |page=26 |year=2012 |url=http://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/Files/abstract/1390/n_sarshomari90_2.pdf |publisher=Statistical Center of Iran |isbn=978-964-365-827-4 |access-date=27 January 2017 |archive-date=24 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624231316/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/Files/abstract/1390/n_sarshomari90_2.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Country Information and Guidance "Christians and Christian converts, Iran" December 2014. p.9</ref> The Iranian government has supported the rebuilding and renovation of Armenian churches, and has supported the [[Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran]]. In 2019, the government registered the [[Vank Cathedral]], in [[Isfahan]], as a [[World Heritage Site]]. Currently three Armenian churches in Iran have been included in the World Heritage List.<ref>[https://ancawr.org/iran-to-register-armenian-cathedral-in-isfahan-as-unesco-world-heritage-site/ "Iran to Register Armenian Cathedral in Isfahan as UNESCO World Heritage Site"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425221459/https://ancawr.org/iran-to-register-armenian-cathedral-in-isfahan-as-unesco-world-heritage-site/ |date=25 April 2021 }}. ''Armenian National Committee of America''. Retrieved 25 April 2021.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1262/ |title=Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran |access-date=25 April 2021 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117154240/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1262/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Iran}}
[[File:TehranUniversityEntrancePanorama.jpg|thumb|[[University of Tehran]]''',''' the oldest Iranian university (1851), and among the [[College and university rankings|World's Top Universities]]]]
Education is highly centralised. [[K–12]] is supervised by the [[Ministry of Education (Iran)|Ministry of Education]], and higher education is supervised by the [[Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (Iran)|Ministry of Science and Technology]]. Literacy among people aged 15 and older was 86% {{as of|2016|lc=yes}}, with men (90%) significantly more educated than women (81%). Government expenditure on education is around 4% of GDP.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2016 |title=Iran (Islamic Republic of) |url=http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/ir |access-date=29 July 2020 |website=uis.unesco.org |archive-date=30 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130131646/https://uis.unesco.org/en/country/ir |url-status=live}}</ref>

The requirement to enter into higher education is to have a [[high school diploma]] and pass the [[Iranian University Entrance Exam]]. Many students do a one–two-year course of [[University-preparatory school|pre-university]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arabiancampus.com/studyiniran/edusys.htm |title=Study in Iran :: Iran Educational System |author=Peter Krol |work=arabiancampus.com |access-date=26 October 2015 |archive-date=12 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112205139/http://www.arabiancampus.com/studyiniran/edusys.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran's higher education is sanctioned by different levels of diplomas, including an [[associate degree]] in two years, a [[bachelor's degree]] in four years, and a [[master's degree]] in two years, after which another exam allows the candidate to pursue a [[Doctor of Philosophy|doctoral]] programme.<ref name="wes.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.wes.org/ca/wedb/iran/firedov.htm |title=WEP-Iran |publisher=Wes.org |access-date=7 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224011506/http://www.wes.org/ca/wedb/iran/firedov.htm |archive-date=24 February 2012}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Iran|Healthcare in Iran}}
[[File:Razavihospital faz2.jpg|thumb|[[Razavi Hospital]], accredited by [https://accreditation.ca/ ACI] for its quality [[Health care|health services]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=سایت |first=مدیر |date=28 December 2023 |title=گفتگو با استادی که مبتکروآغاز کننده روش های جدید جراحی مغز در دانشگاه علوم پزشکی مشهد است |url=https://razavihospital.ir//گفتگو-با-استادی-که-مبتکروآغاز-کننده-رو/ |access-date=27 January 2024 |website=بیمارستان رضوی |language=fa-IR}}</ref>]]
Healthcare is provided by the public-governmental system, the private sector, and [[Non-governmental organization|NGOs]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 October 2016 |title=Filepool – Detail {{!}} Organization for Investment Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran |url=http://www.investiniran.ir/en/filepool/26?redirectpage=%2fen%2febook |access-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010112638/http://www.investiniran.ir/en/filepool/26?redirectpage=%2fen%2febook |archive-date=10 October 2016}}</ref>

Iran is the only country in the world with a [[Organ trade#Iran|legal organ trade]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Movassagh |first=Hooman |date=24 April 2016 |title=Human Organ Donations under the "Iranian Model": A Rewarding Scheme for U.S. Regulatory Reform? |url=https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/ihlr/article/view/21140 |journal=Indiana Health Law Review |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=82–118 |doi=10.18060/3911.0013 |issn=2374-2593 |access-date=1 January 2024 |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101151727/https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/ihlr/article/view/21140 |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran has been able to extend public health [[Preventive medicine|preventive services]] through the establishment of an extensive [[Primary Health Centre|Primary Health Care Network]]. As a result, child and maternal mortality rates have fallen significantly, and life expectancy at birth has risen. Iran's medical knowledge rank is 17th globally, and 1st in the Middle East and North Africa. In terms of medical science production index, Iran ranks 16th in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=kental_tour |date=24 January 2023 |title=Iran health care ranking |url=https://kentaltravel.com/blog/iran-health-care-ranking/ |access-date=1 January 2024 |website=Kental Travel |language=en-US |archive-date=1 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101151727/https://kentaltravel.com/blog/iran-health-care-ranking/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran is fast emerging as a preferred destination for [[medical tourism]].<ref name=":0" />

The country faces the common problem of other [[Demographics of Iran|young demographic nations]] in the region, which is keeping pace with growth of an already huge demand for various public services. An anticipated increase in the population growth rate will increase the need for [[public health]] infrastructures and services.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 January 2024 |title=Payvand |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/09/apr/1027.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129222751/http://www.payvand.com/news/09/apr/1027.html |archive-date=29 November 2011 |access-date=1 January 2024 |website=Payvand}}</ref> About 90% of Iranians have [[health insurance]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 August 2016 |title=Iran Health Insurance in Brief |url=http://www.arkanteb.com/site/en/tips/69-iran-health-insurance-in-brief.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817173914/http://www.arkanteb.com/site/en/tips/69-iran-health-insurance-in-brief.html |archive-date=17 August 2016 |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>