One in Seven Iranian Households Receives Welfare from the Welfare Organization and Imam Khomeini Relief Committee

The number of households covered by the "Imam Khomeini Relief Committee" and the Welfare Organization in Iran has doubled over the past seven years. Analysis by Radio Farda's data mining group shows that from 2017 to 2023, the number of households supported by these two official welfare organizations has increased from about two million to approximately four million households. This situation cannot be assessed as unrelated to the deepening social and economic crisis in Iran; during these years, Iran has also witnessed three significant protest events: the protests of December 2017, which focused on economic and livelihood demands and were termed a protest of the 'lower class' by sociologists; the protests of November 2019, which again had economic roots sparked by a rise in gasoline prices, with some sociologists labeling it a protest of the 'poor and urban marginalized,' noting that this time part of the 'middle class' of previous years had also been added to the 'lower class' due to the economic situation; and the protests of autumn 2022, known as the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, which had social roots and saw participation from both the lower classes of yesterday and today, as well as the middle class across the country. If we compare the total population of households covered by these two organizations to the total number of households, we find that the ratio of welfare coverage has increased from about eight percent in 2017 to approximately 15 percent in 2023. In other words, currently, one in seven Iranian households is covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee or the Welfare Organization. In this context, the amount of welfare benefits received by the supported households is also noteworthy. For example, this year, with a 30 percent increase compared to the previous year, households supported by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the Welfare Organization have received the following benefits: a one-person household receives about one million tomans; a two-person household receives about one million and 400 thousand tomans; a three-person household receives two million tomans; a four-person household receives two million and 550 thousand tomans; and a household of five or more receives three million and 150 thousand tomans.