A Former Labor Ministry Official's Account of Poverty; The Population Below the Poverty Line Doubled and Workers Below the Poverty Line Increased Fivefold

The former head of the Social Security Research Center has provided a grim account of the expansion of poverty in Iran in an interview with a news agency, stating that according to official statistics, the population below the poverty line has doubled and the number of workers below the poverty line has increased fivefold. Roozbeh Korduni told ILNA news agency that among workers, there is a 'prevalence of addiction and AIDS,' which studies in this area have been sporadic and not sustained. According to this former Labor Ministry official, over the past decade, social and economic trends have led to a worsening of social issues in the labor sector of society. Korduni referenced studies conducted on poverty, stating that 'between 2019 and 2021 during the COVID period, the population below the absolute poverty line in the country increased from 15% to 30%' and 'in fact, the number of individuals below the poverty line has doubled in less than four years.' He noted that while the total population below the absolute poverty line in Iran has doubled, separate statistics from insured and employed individuals showed that 'the population of employed individuals below the absolute poverty line has increased fivefold.' These statements indicate that previously poverty was confined to the unemployed, but now those who are working have also entered the realm of poverty. The former head of the Social Security Research Center emphasized that the population below the poverty line in Iran has increased both at the macro level and within the labor, employee, and rural communities, and social problems and issues in the labor sector have intensified. It has also been emphasized that the population of men aged 20 to 30 in Iranian cities has the highest suicide rate compared to other demographic, gender, and age groups, with their suicide pattern indicating that the active population of working age in Iran is increasingly inclined towards suicide. Farshad Momeni, an economist and university professor, also described the livelihood situation of the Iranian people as critical in an interview with the 'Econegar' website on March 14 of last year, stating that 30% of the country's population is below the poverty line and another 40% are on the verge of falling below the poverty line due to current wage determination methods. The fight against poverty and improving the economic conditions of the people has been one of the slogans of the leaders of the Islamic Republic since 1988, which in practice has not only failed to eradicate poverty but experts believe that the economic behavior of the Islamic Republic has led to a balanced development of poverty. Ebrahim Raisi also entered the presidency with the approach of 'supporting the underprivileged' and on February 24, 2022, in the first meeting of the Supreme Council of Welfare and Social Security in the thirteenth government, he stated, 'I order that absolute poverty be eradicated by the end of the year.' The 'Tejarat News' website criticized Ebrahim Raisi's performance in October 2023, stating that one-third of Iran's population is below the absolute poverty line, and Raisi has once again issued an order to eliminate poverty. The Research Center of the Parliament also announced in its latest report on poverty in the summer of 2023 that over the past decade, the poverty rate in the country has increased from 19% to over 30%, which, considering the population of 86 million, means that over 30 million Iranians are below the poverty line. A warning from a labor activist about 'absolute poverty' among retirees: the 2024 wage has been approved contrary to the law. The government announced the implementation of the third phase of electronic coupons; ILNA: it has no impact on people's livelihoods and is merely propaganda. Protests by labor activists and organizations regarding wages below the poverty line continue. The riddle of income and expenditure in Iran; a $136 wage against $500 expenses. The heavy shadow of poverty over the Haft-Seen table; Nowruz 2024 does not even 'smell of gifts.' The competition between the poverty line and people's livelihoods; an economist: 70% of Iranians are either below the poverty line or at risk of falling.