MigrantoIranian Diaspora
1.7M Iranians live abroad — 2% of the population of Iran
Iranian diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 53% of the diaspora
| 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 region
40% of the diaspora lives in Europe
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Key facts
The Iranian diaspora in numbers
The community in Turkey is growing fastest
The number of Iranians living in Turkey has grown 279% since 2015, from 52.6K to 199.7K.
Most Iranians abroad live in the USA
25% of the diaspora lives in the USA, while the next country accounts for just 16%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
5 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Switzerland, Belgium, Finland. Switzerland climbed from outside the top 20 to #14.
The diaspora has grown 20% since 2020
The number of Iranians living abroad rose from 1.4M to 1.7M in four years.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 35% to 25%.
Iranian diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 604892 |
| 1995 | 701961 |
| 2000 | 835113 |
| 2005 | 875530 |
| 2010 | 1028854 |
| 2015 | 1163612 |
| 2020 | 1442650 |
| 2024 | 1733468 |
Largest communities over time
Iranians living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| 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 communities
How the number of Iranians in each country has changed since the selected year
Iranians among immigrants in other countries
Where Iranians make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Iranians live outside Iran?
Around 1.7M Iranians live abroad, the world's #48 largest diaspora.
Where do most Iranians abroad live?
Most Iranians live in USA, Germany and Canada — these three countries account for about 53% of all Iranians living abroad.
Which country has the largest Iranian population outside Iran?
USA is home to the largest Iranian community abroad — 431.4K people, about 25% of all Iranians living abroad.
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.
Is the Iranian diaspora growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of Iranians living abroad has grown from 1.2M to 1.7M, about 49%.
Where does the data on the Iranian diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Iran who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Iran
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