Iran's Population Exceeds 86 Million

The Statistical Center of Iran reports that the population of Iran has surpassed 86 million. According to a report published on Wednesday, March 13, on the Statistical Center's website, the 'population clock' indicates that the country's population crossed the 86 million mark in the final days of the year 1403. The population clock shows changes in the number of people and its increase over time. The population clock was first placed on the Statistical Center's website in 1388. This report does not provide further details about the country's population status, but the Statistical Center had reported the population as 85 million and 900 thousand in Shahrivar of this year, with 50.5% male and 49.5% female. Among the population under 15 years, reported at 19.6 million, there are 400 thousand more boys than girls. Conversely, the balance tilts towards women in the elderly population over 65 years, who make up over 53% of the elderly in the country. According to a recent census, Iraq's population was announced as 45 million. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has aligned with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the then-President, since 1391 after Ahmadinejad criticized population control policies, expressing regret for supporting these policies in the 1370s. After the war and the beginning of the 1370s, the Iranian government initiated a population control program, significantly lowering population growth. During this period, extensive propaganda was launched to encourage smaller families, which continued until the government's policy shift at the end of the 1380s. Earlier this year, the Statistical Center published an estimate of the country's population status until 1430, indicating that if the fertility rate remains at 1.6 children per couple, the population will exceed 93 million by 1430, with nearly 19 million, or over 20%, being individuals over 65 years old. Currently, this ratio is 6.5%, compared to about 6.1% in 1396. Officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly warned about the aging population of the country.