Iran, Islamic Rep.: Battle-related deaths (number of people)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 296.77% from 31 in 2019 (31.74% a year on average, compounded). Since 1990 it is up 296.77% from 31 in 1990 (4.14% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 12 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 261.8% on 2023 (from 34 to 123).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was +85.8% and a typical year strayed about 159.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 583.9% in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 87.3% in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 11% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Iran, Islamic Rep. had the 24th highest value of the 35 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Iran, Islamic Rep. in the 2024 ranking

• Central African Republic — 21st of 35: 177
• Philippines — 22nd of 35: 176
• Mozambique — 23rd of 35: 151
• Chad — 25th of 35: 69
• Kenya — 26th of 35: 66
• Indonesia — 27th of 35: 57

What this measures

Battle-related deaths are deaths in battle-related conflicts between warring parties in the conflict dyad (two conflict units that are parties to a conflict). Battle-related deaths refer to those deaths caused by the warring parties that can be directly related to combat. This includes battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities (e.g. hit and-run attacks/ambushes) and all kinds of bombardments of military bases, cities and villages etc. The target for the attacks is either the military forces or representatives for the parties, though there is often substantial collateral damage in the form of civilians being killed in the crossfire, indiscriminate bombings, etc. All fatalities, military as well as civilian, incurred in such situations are counted as battle-related deaths.

Limitations: While the best estimate for battle-related deaths is considered a conservative minimum, the high estimate may still undercount actual fatalities due to unreported events, and users are cautioned that the apparent precision of the numbers does not eliminate underlying uncertainty.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 23 values

Battle-related deaths (number of people) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 260 (2024)
• Algeria — 26 (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 231 (2022)
• Iraq — 396 (2024)
• Israel — 21,440 (2024)
• Lebanon — 4,335 (2024)
• Libya — 2 (2024)
• Pakistan — 1,534 (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 9 (2023)
• Syrian Arab Republic — 2,732 (2024)
• Yemen, Rep.

More public sector data for Iran, Islamic Rep.

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 7.4 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 4,899.89 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.09% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 42 million (2024)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 80 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 11.16% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 650,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 2.35% (2020)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Iran, Islamic Rep.'s battle-related deaths (number of people)?

123 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 296.77% from 31 in 1990 (4.14% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 219 in 2011 and the lowest 19 in 1999.

How does Iran, Islamic Rep. rank?

24th highest of 35 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in battle-related deaths (number of people) unusual for Iran, Islamic Rep.?

In 2024, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 261.8% on 2023 (from 34 to 123). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was +85.8% and a typical year strayed about 159.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.BTL.DETH, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UCDP Battle-related Deaths Dataset , Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), uri: https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/, publisher: Uppsala University Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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