MigrantoIranian Diaspora
1.7M Iranians live abroad — the #48 largest diaspora in the world
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 53% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 431405 |
| Germany | 283454 |
| Canada | 205304 |
| Turkey | 199735 |
| United Kingdom | 124200 |
| Sweden | 89047 |
| Australia | 88697 |
| Israel | 61572 |
| Netherlands | 44869 |
| Austria | 29559 |
| Italy | 23973 |
| Denmark | 21174 |
| Norway | 20436 |
| Switzerland | 17038 |
| Belgium | 15212 |
| Iraq | 14747 |
| Finland | 8959 |
| Armenia | 6793 |
| New Zealand | 5632 |
| Greece | 4976 |
| Hungary | 4866 |
| Japan | 4201 |
| Kazakhstan | 3012 |
| Ukraine | 2199 |
| Pakistan | 2148 |
| Turkmenistan | 1876 |
| India | 1810 |
| China | 1331 |
| Cyprus | 1267 |
| Luxembourg | 1241 |
| Tajikistan | 1203 |
| Romania | 1194 |
| Czech Republic | 1132 |
| Russia | 922 |
| Portugal | 832 |
| Brazil | 815 |
| Azerbaijan | 710 |
| Bulgaria | 653 |
| South Africa | 499 |
| Libya | 464 |
| Nauru | 412 |
| Mexico | 401 |
| Poland | 371 |
| Malaysia | 358 |
| Ecuador | 327 |
| Iceland | 251 |
| Argentina | 227 |
| Indonesia | 220 |
| Estonia | 220 |
| Slovakia | 183 |
| Slovenia | 183 |
| Malta | 151 |
| Panama | 151 |
| Costa Rica | 144 |
| Georgia | 124 |
| Sri Lanka | 105 |
| Venezuela | 80 |
| Bolivia | 76 |
| Lithuania | 63 |
| Belarus | 46 |
| Latvia | 42 |
| Croatia | 42 |
| Dominican Republic | 33 |
| Namibia | 32 |
| Guatemala | 20 |
| El Salvador | 18 |
| Liechtenstein | 14 |
| Cayman Islands | 11 |
| Yemen | 6 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 40%
697.5K
636.7K
285K
94.7K
16.3K
2.3K
995
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Iran.
Turkey is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Turkey has increased by 279% since 2015, rising from 52.6K to 199.7K in 9 years.
USA is the primary destination for emigrants
USA attracts 25% of all emigrants from Iran, while the second-largest destination receives just 16%.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
5 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Switzerland, Belgium, Finland — Switzerland rose from outside the top 20 to rank #14.
Emigration has accelerated notably since 2020
The emigrant population grew 20% from 1.4M to 1.7M, indicating an acceleration in emigration flows following COVID and recent geopolitical shifts.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 604892 |
| 1995 | 701961 |
| 2000 | 835113 |
| 2005 | 875530 |
| 2010 | 1028854 |
| 2015 | 1163612 |
| 2020 | 1442650 |
| 2024 | 1733468 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | USA | Germany | Canada | Turkey | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 214160 | 107679 | 27795 | 11362 | 31600 |
| 1995 | 232448 | 101117 | 43551 | 13609 | 36268 |
| 2000 | 291868 | 130940 | 66938 | 15701 | 41505 |
| 2005 | 299831 | 125839 | 89641 | 22290 | 56842 |
| 2010 | 369696 | 120737 | 119904 | 29160 | 80720 |
| 2015 | 400316 | 96409 | 154303 | 52639 | 96383 |
| 2020 | 408216 | 185393 | 178830 | 125721 | 112117 |
| 2024 | 431405 | 283454 | 205304 | 199735 | 124200 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Iran as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Iran
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
Where do Iranians move to?
Most Iranians have moved to USA, Germany and Canada — these three countries account for about 53% of all Iranians living abroad.
How many Iranians live abroad?
Around 1.7M Iranians live abroad, making it the #48-largest emigrant population in the world.
What share of the population of Iran lives abroad?
About 2% of the population of Iran lives abroad — that's 1.7M out of a total population of 91.6M.
How has emigration from Iran changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Iran has grown from 1.2M to 1.7M people, a growth of about 49%.
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