Open Data of Iran: Birth Rate in Iran Reaches Lowest Level in Half a Century

The Open Data of Iran website reports that the birth rate in Iran has reached its lowest level in the past fifty years. This comes despite Ali Khamenei's repeated emphasis on the importance of increasing the birth rate since 2011 and the Islamic Republic's multi-billion investments aimed at boosting the population. According to the latest statistics published on the website of the Civil Registration Organization, a total of 1,057,959 births were registered in the country in 2023, which is 23% lower than the birth statistics in 2011, the year Khamenei called for increasing Iran's population to 150 million. The report states that in the 2023 budget, only 7,500 billion tomans were allocated for the Secretariat of the Family Support and Youth Population Headquarters. In the 2024 budget proposal, this amount increased to 9,789 billion tomans. These figures only represent the budget allocations for the Youth Population Headquarters, and additional funds from other organizations, banks, and state companies are also being used to finance population growth projects. Despite these expenditures and a new directive from the Ministry of Science to remove educational content opposing childbirth, reports indicate that the alarm for an aging explosion in Iran has sounded. Experts attribute young couples' reluctance to have children and marry to governance methods and various economic and social issues in the country. The Faraz website reports that Iran's demographic window is on the verge of closing, stating that the defective management system implemented by rulers in social, economic, and cultural areas has openly led to a decline in the desire for childbirth, evaporating the possibility of a young and dynamic society in the future. High education levels among women, along with unemployment rates, one-third of the population living below the poverty line, long queues for marriage loans, shortages of medicine and healthcare facilities, and rationing of baby formula are just some of the factors dissuading young couples from having children. Worrying reports about the demographic future highlight the tragedy of governance and the uprising of aging. The Deputy Minister of Health stated that women's education is a barrier to population growth. A newspaper report from a survey on 'Values and Attitudes of Iranians' indicates a decrease in the desire for childbirth among housewives. The Attorney General has called for a 'tightening' of measures against abortion. Human rights organizations have warned about the deprivation of Iranian women's basic human rights and the violation of reproductive rights in Iran. A parliament member stated that the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade does not provide cars to mothers, indicating another failure of population growth plans. A former health minister of the Islamic Republic warned that restrictive screening laws will increase the number of disabled newborns. The current health minister reiterated the need for childbirth, stating that all advertising tools should be utilized. Despite President Raisi's 'directive,' 149,000 people are still waiting for marriage loans. Reports on the progress and setbacks of women before and after the 1979 revolution are highlighted. Human Rights Watch stated that the 'Youth Population' law violates the rights of Iranian women. Despite severe economic problems, a senior IRGC official urged IRGC and Basij families to have at least five children.