Iran, Islamic Rep.'s trade (% of GDP) was 60.24% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 20.82 percentage points from 39.42% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 60.24% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 43.88% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 39.42% | 2015 |
| Highest | 76.12% | 1975 |
| Lowest | 14.14% | 1986 |
| Average since 2016 | 48.54% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 31.24% | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s trade (% of GDP) rose 8.18 percentage points on 2024 (from 52.06% to 60.24%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.66 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 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 17.31 percentage points in 1974 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.19 percentage points in 1978. 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 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.27 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 35% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Iran, Islamic Rep. had the 92nd highest value of the 137 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Iran, Islamic Rep. | 60.24% | 2025 |
| World | 68.49% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 48.9% | 2025 |
Closest to Iran, Islamic Rep. in the 2025 ranking
- United Kingdom — 89th of 137: 62.46%
- Gambia, The — 90th of 137: 62.17%
- South Africa — 91st of 137: 60.91%
- Ecuador — 93rd of 137: 59.36%
- Saudi Arabia — 94th of 137: 57.92%
- Uzbekistan — 95th of 137: 57.4%
What this measures
Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 66 values
| Year | Trade (% of GDP) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 60.24 |
| 2024 | 52.06 |
| 2023 | 49.39 |
| 2022 | 48.92 |
| 2021 | 42.67 |
| 2020 | 43.88 |
| 2019 | 48.59 |
| 2018 | 56.62 |
| 2017 | 43.16 |
| 2016 | 39.88 |
| 2015 | 39.42 |
Trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies
More economic policy & debt data for Iran, Islamic Rep.
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$48.21 billion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 35,797.6 trillion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$68.4 billion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 10,151.5 trillion (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 13.29% (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$194.65 billion (2025)
- Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 144,548 trillion (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Iran, Islamic Rep.'s trade (% of GDP)?
- 60.24% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 29.01 percentage points from 31.24% in 1960. The highest value was 76.12% in 1975 and the lowest 14.14% in 1986.
- How does Iran, Islamic Rep. rank?
- 92nd highest of 137 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in trade (% of GDP) unusual for Iran, Islamic Rep.?
- In 2025, Iran, Islamic Rep.'s trade (% of GDP) rose 8.18 percentage points on 2024 (from 52.06% to 60.24%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.66 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 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 NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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