Iranian diaspora

Iranian diaspora
Map of the Iranian diaspora as of 2021
Total population
~4,037,258 (official estimate, 2021)
~1.6 million (asylum seekers, 2021)[1][2]
Americas1,905,813 (47.20%)
Europe1,184,552 (29.34%)
Other (Asia and Oceania)1,115,572 (23.46%)
Languages
Persian and Languages of Iran
Religion

The Iranian diaspora (collectively known as Iranian expats or expatriates) is the global population of Iranian citizens or people of Iranian descent living outside Iran.[3]

While Iranian migration has occurred historically, a significant wave of Iranians fled Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution due to political persecution under the new government.[4] This trend has continued and intensified in the 2020s due to economic instability and political unrest.

In 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran published statistics showing that 4,037,258 Iranians were living abroad. This figure includes people of Iranian ancestry in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, and Bahrain whose families may have left Iran decades prior to the 1979 revolution, as well as those with partial ancestry.[1][2] By December 2025, United Nations data indicated that there were 1.6 million Iranian asylum seekers worldwide, suggesting that approximately 1 in every 15 Iranians has left the country.[5]

Over one million people of Iranian descent live in the United States, with significant populations (between 100,000 and 500,000) in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.[6][7] In early 2026, the Iranian diaspora began holding rallies around the world in support of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.[8]

Migration waves

Iran has experienced waves of emigration since 1979. The government has proposed the creation of a ministry of immigration following reports indicating critical emigration statistics, largely driven by political instability and economic sanctions.[9][10][11]

Statistics by country

Map of the Iranian diaspora as of 2021
  Iran
  ≥ 1,000,000
  ≥ 100,000
  ≥ 10,000
  ≥ 1,000
Popularity change of countries among Iranian Immigrants (2016–2021)
The Lion and Sun flag is commonly used by members of the diaspora as symbol of opposition to the Islamic Republic.[12]
List of countries and territories by Iranian population
Country Iranian diaspora (est.) Article
United States Steady 568,564 (2021) Iranian Americans
Kuwait Steady 400,000 (citizens)[13]
Decrease 38,000 (non-Kuwaiti, 2021) 		Ajam of Kuwait
United Arab Emirates Increase 357,000 (2021) Iranians in the United Arab Emirates
Germany Increase 336,000 (2023)[14] Iranians in Germany
Canada Increase 280,805 (2021)[15] Iranian Canadians
Israel Steady 250,000 Iranian Jews in Israel
Bahrain Increase 225,000 (Estimated)[16] Ajam of Bahrain
Sweden Increase 126,700 (2023) Swedish Iranians
Turkey Increase 126,640 (2021) Immigration to Turkey
France Increase 118,300 (2023)[17][18] Iranians in France
United Kingdom Increase 114,432 (2021)[19] Iranians in the United Kingdom
Iraq Decrease 110,920 (2021) Iranians in Iraq
Australia Increase 70,899 (2021)[20] Iranian Australians
Netherlands Increase 52,000 (2021) Iranians in the Netherlands
Austria Steady 40,000 (2021)
Denmark Steady 32,700 (2021) Iranians in Denmark
Italy Increase 30,532(2024)[21] Only including Iran-born people
Malaysia Decrease 30,000 (2021) Iranians in Malaysia
Norway Decrease 20,000 (2021) Norwegian Iranians
 Switzerland Increase 20,000 (2021)
Belgium Decrease 20,000 (2021)
Qatar Decrease 20,000 (2021) Iranians in Qatar
Georgia Increase 16,000 (2021)
India Decrease 12,760 (2021) Demographics of India
New Zealand Increase 12,000 (2021) Iranian New Zealanders
Spain Decrease 12,000 (2021) Iranians in Spain
Finland Increase 10,129 (2021)[22]
Azerbaijan Decrease 10,000 (2021)
Armenia Decrease 10,000 (2021)
Syria Decrease 10,000 (2021) Iranians in Syria
Oman Decrease 9,500 (2021)
Tajikistan Increase 8,000 (2019)
China Decrease 7,780 (2021) Iranians in China
Lebanon Decrease 5,000 (2021) Iranians in Lebanon
Thailand Steady 5,000 (2021) Iranians in Thailand
Cyprus Increase 5,000 (2021)
South Africa Steady 5,000 (2021)
Japan Decrease 4,237 (2022)[23] Iranians in Japan
Ukraine Decrease 4,200 (2021)
Hungary Decrease 4,111 (2021)
Pakistan Decrease 3,950 (2021) Iranian Pakistanis
Afghanistan Decrease 3,800 (2021)
Romania Decrease 3,500 (2021) Iranians in Romania
Kazakhstan Decrease 3,000 (2021)
Portugal Increase 2,934 (2024)[24] Only including foreign citizens, thus excluding, for instance, the 545 Iranians that have acquired Portuguese citizenship since 2008.[25]
Brazil Increase 2,525 (2024)[26] Only including Iranian-born people
Greece Steady 2,500 (2021)
Russia Decrease 2,434 (2021)[27] Iranians in Russia
Argentina Steady 2,000 (2021)
Poland Decrease 2,000 (2021) Iranians in Poland
South Korea Decrease 1,770 (2021)
Philippines Increase 1,500 (2021) Iranians in the Philippines
Slovakia Decrease 1,140 (2021)
Tajikistan Increase 1,000 (2021)
Tanzania Steady 1,000 (2021)
Ireland Increase 1,000 (2021)
Czech Republic Decrease 1,000 (2021)
Mexico Steady 500 (2021)
Bulgaria Decrease 500 (2021)
Egypt Decrease 500 (2021)
Kyrgyzstan Decrease 500 (2021)
Estonia Increase 426 (2021)
Hong Kong Increase 410 (2021)
Venezuela Steady 400 (2021)
Indonesia Decrease 400 (2021)
Colombia Steady 350 (2021) Iranian Colombians
Chile Steady 300 (2021)
Belarus Decrease 227 (2021)
Sudan Steady 225 (2021)
Singapore Steady 200 (2021)
Serbia Decrease 171 (2021)
Bolivia Steady 150 (2021)
Slovenia Decrease 125 (2021)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Decrease 110 (2021)
Jordan Steady 100 (2021)
Kenya Steady 70 (2021)
Ghana Steady 70 (2021)
Uruguay Steady 70 (2021)
Ivory Coast Steady 65 (2021)
Croatia Decrease 60 (2021)
Turkmenistan Decrease 54 (2021)
Uganda Steady 50 (2021)
Tunisia Steady 47 (2021)
Senegal Steady 47 (2021)
Bangladesh Decrease 44 (2021)
Mauritius Steady 41 (2021)
Vietnam Steady 40 (2021)
Nicaragua Steady 40 (2021)
Democratic Republic of the Congo Steady 23 (2021)
Brunei Steady 21 (2021)
Algeria Steady 20 (2021)
Gambia Steady 17 (2021)
Niger Steady 15 (2021)
Nigeria Steady 15 (2021)
Ethiopia Steady 12 (2021)
Madagascar Steady 12 (2021)
Albania Decrease 12 (2021)
North Macedonia Decrease 11 (2021)
Cameroon Steady 10 (2021)
Guinea Steady 10 (2021)
Namibia Steady 10 (2021)
Burkina Faso Steady 6 (2021)
Cuba Decrease 3 (2021)
Mali Steady 2 (2021)
North Korea Steady 1 (2021)
Saudi Arabia Steady 110,000 (2023)
West Asia and Other Increase 2,433,000 (60.26%) (2021) Anglosphere
North, Central and South America Increase 1,905,813 (47.20%) (2021) Americas
Europe Increase 1,184,552 (29.34%) (2021) Europe
Total: Increase ~4,037,258 (2021)[28] List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population

Socioeconomic status

Nearly 60 percent of Iranians abroad have earned at least an undergraduate degree. They have some of the highest rates of self-employment among immigrant groups. Many have founded their own companies, including Isaac Larian, the founder of MGA Entertainment, and Pierre Omidyar, who founded eBay in 1995 in San Jose, California. Iranian households in the United States earned on average $87,288 annually as of 2018, and are ranked ninth by income.[29]

Students abroad

See also: Higher education in Iran and Iran's brain drain

According to the Iranian government, 55,686 Iranian students were studying abroad in 2013:[30] 8,883 studied in Malaysia, 7,341 in the United States, 5,638 in Canada, 3,504 in Germany, 3,364 in Turkey, 3,228 in Britain, and the rest in other countries.[31][32] The Iranian Ministry of Education estimated that between 350,000 and 500,000 Iranians were studying outside Iran as of 2014.[33]

Politics

Economics

See also: Foreign direct investment in Iran

In 2000, the Iran Press Service reported that Iranian expatriates had invested between $200 and $400 billion in the United States, Europe, and China, but almost nothing in Iran.[7] In Dubai, Iranian expatriates have invested an estimated $200 billion (2006).[34] Migrant Iranian workers abroad remitted less than two billion dollars home in 2006.[35]

High net-worth individuals

See also: Social class in Iran and List of Iranians by net worth
Rank Name Citizenship Net worth (USD) Source(s) of wealth
1 Pierre Omidyar Iran USA France 12.9 billion [36] eBay
2 Ghermezian family Iran CAN 4.0 billion [37] Triple Five Group
3 Farhad Moshiri Iran UK 2.8 billion [38] Metalloinvest, Everton
4 Nazarian family Iran USA 2.0 billion [39] Qualcomm
5 Vincent & Robert Tchenguiz Iran UK 1.4 billion [40][41] Real Estate
6 Manny Mashouf Iran USA 1.3 billion [42] Bebe stores
7 Merage family Iran USA 1.1 billion [43] Hot Pockets
8 Nasser David Khalili Iran UK 1.0 billion [44] Real Estate
9 Hassan Khosrowshahi Iran CAN 950 million [45] Future Shop
10 Omid Kordestani Iran USA 900 million [46] Google
11 Anousheh Ansari Iran USA 750 million [47] Sonus Networks
12 Isaac Larian Iran USA 723 million [46] MGA Entertainment
13 Arash Ferdowsi Iran USA 400 million [48] Dropbox

Expatriate fund

See also: Privatization in Iran § Iranian expatriates role, and Tehran Stock Exchange § Foreign portfolio investment

The fund's stated goal is to attract investment from Iranian expatriates and to use their experience in stimulating foreign investments.[49]

Religious affiliation

See also: Religion in Iran and Irreligion in Iran

Members of the Iranian diaspora are considered to be mostly secular. The majority of them do not take fundamental Islamic rituals, such as daily prayers or fasting, and have largely embraced Western secularism.[50] According to a 2008 survey by the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), 42% of Iranian Americans identified as Muslim, 9% as Christian, 6% as Jewish, 5% as Zoroastrian, 7% as Baháʼí, and 31% as other or non-religious.[51][52][53] A 2012 national telephone survey of a sample of 400 Iranian-Americans, commissioned by the PAAIA and conducted by Zogby Research Services, asked the respondents what their religions were. The responses broke down as follows: Muslim 31%, atheist/realist/humanist 11%, agnostic 8%, Baháʼí 7%, Jewish 5%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 2%, Zoroastrian 2%, "Other" 15%, and "No response" 15%.[54] The survey had a cooperation rate of 31.2%.[54] The margin of error for the results was ± 5 percentage points, with higher margins of error for sub-groups.[54] Notably, the number of Muslims decreased from 42% in 2008 to 31% in 2012.[54][55]

Notes

In the period between 1961 and 2005, the United States became the main destination of Iranian emigrants. An estimated 378,995 Iranians immigrated to the United States in that period, with California being the most common destination (158,613 Iran-born in 2000),[56] New York (17,323),[56] Texas (15,581),[56] Virginia (10,889),[56] and Maryland (9,733).[56] The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area was estimated to be home to approximately 114,712 Iranian immigrants,[56] earning the Westwood area of Los Angeles the nickname Tehrangeles.

The U.S. Census Bureau's decennial census form does not offer a designation for individuals of Iranian descent, and therefore it is estimated that only a fraction of the total number of Iranians are writing in their ancestry. The 2000 census estimated that the Iranian American community (including the US-born children of the Iranian foreign-born) numbers around 330,000. Studies using alternative statistical methods have estimated the actual number of Iranian Americans in the range of 691,000 to 1.2 million.[7][57]

See also

References

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Sources

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