Kurds in Iran

Iran's Kurds are the country's second- or third-largest ethnic group, an estimated 8–12 million people concentrated along the western border. Most are Sunni in a Shia-majority state and speak Kurdish, a language related to Persian. This page gives the settled facts with their sources, then shows what Iranian state outlets and international outlets are reporting about Kurdish regions now, side by side.

Estimated population

8–12 million

about 10% of Iran (CIA Factbook; estimates vary)

Main provinces

Kurdistan, Kermanshah, W. Azerbaijan, Ilam

plus Lorestan, Hamadan, North Khorasan

Religion

Mostly Sunni (Shafi'i)

Shia in Kermanshah/Ilam; Yarsan minority

Languages

Sorani, Kurmanji, Southern Kurdish

Gorani, Laki; Persian official

Coverage on record

120 stories

last 12 months, Artesh archive

What the two sides are reporting

Headlines from the last 12 months that mention Kurdish regions, groups or cities. Iranian state and state-linked outlets on the left, international and independent outlets on the right; each is that outlet's account, attributed, not Artesh's finding. MEK-affiliated outlets are excluded.

Iranian outlets

Governor of Kermanshah Meets with Successful Twin Students
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 7, 2026

30 Pregnant Mothers with Special Conditions in Sanandaj to Be Covered by National SAMA Plan
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 7, 2026

Governor of Kermanshah Orders Establishment of Direct Supply Centers
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 7, 2026

Over 58 Million Cubic Meters of CNG Consumed in Kurdistan; 52 Active Stations
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 5, 2026

Kurdistan Veterinary Organization Conducted Over 5.7 Million Animal Vaccinations in Six Months
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 5, 2026

Insurance Coverage for Rural Residents and Nomads in Kermanshah Exceeds 76%
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 5, 2026

Four Sports Projects in Kermanshah Marked
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 5, 2026

Arrival of an Unstable System in Kermanshah
ISNA — a semi-official Iranian news agency (Iranian Students News Agency) · Oct 5, 2026

International and independent outlets

Understanding the Historical Context of Iran's Kurdish Population
Google Iran · Oct 5, 2026

Iraqi Pro-Iran Militia Leader Claims US Withdrawal Poses No Threat to Kurdistan Region
Google Iran · Oct 3, 2026

Kurdish Man Ehsan Norouzi Executed for Murder in Kermanshah
Iran Human Rights · Oct 2, 2026

Iraq's Kurdish Forces Pursue Unification Amid US Withdrawal
Al Jazeera · Oct 1, 2026

U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq: The End of a 23-Year Presence and Concerns Over the Security Future of the Kurdistan Region
BBC Persian · Oct 1, 2026

US Troop Withdrawal from Iraq Sparks Kurdish Concerns and Militia Celebrations
Google Iran · Sep 30, 2026

Kurdistan Region's Vulnerability Increases Amid US Withdrawal from Iraq
Google Iran · Sep 28, 2026

The Role of Kurdish Groups in Economic Pressure on Iran
Google Iran · Sep 27, 2026

Kurds in Iran: the facts

How many Kurds live in Iran?

Iran's census does not count ethnicity, so every figure is an estimate. The CIA World Factbook puts Kurds at about 10% of Iran's roughly 90 million people, so around 8–9 million; Kurdish organisations and some academic estimates range up to 12 million or more. The four provinces where Kurds are the majority or a large share (West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam) had a combined population of about 6.7 million in the 2006 census, which included non-Kurds.

Where do Kurds live in Iran?

Mainly along the western border with Iraq and Turkey: Kurdistan province (capital Sanandaj), Kermanshah, the southern half of West Azerbaijan (Mahabad, Bukan, Piranshahr, Urmia) and Ilam, with communities in Lorestan and Hamadan. A separate Kurdish population lives in North Khorasan in the north-east, descended from tribes resettled there in the 16th–17th centuries. Iranian Kurds call the region Rojhelat ("the East").

Are Iranian Kurds Sunni or Shia?

Most are Sunni Muslims of the Shafi'i school, which sets them apart in a Shia-majority state; Kurds in Kermanshah and Ilam are largely Shia, and there are Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq) communities. Sunni Kurds cannot hold certain senior state offices in practice and have long complained of under-investment in their provinces.

What languages do Iranian Kurds speak?

Kurdish is a group of Iranian (Indo-European) languages related to Persian. In Iran the main varieties are Sorani (central Kurdish, around Sanandaj and Mahabad), Kurmanji (northern, around Urmia and in Khorasan), and Southern Kurdish (Kermanshah, Ilam), plus Gorani and Laki. Persian is the only official language; Kurdish-language schooling has been promised repeatedly and introduced only in limited form.

Which Kurdish political and armed groups operate in Iran?

The main ones are the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI, founded 1945, which declared the short-lived Mahabad Republic in 1946), Komala (left-wing, founded 1969), PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, linked to the PKK, active since 2004) and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK). Most are based across the border in Iraqi Kurdistan; Iran has struck their camps there, notably in September–November 2022, and in March 2023 Iran and Iraq signed a security agreement under which Baghdad undertook to disarm and relocate them.

What was the role of Kurds in the 2022 protests?

The nationwide protests began after the death in custody of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman from Saqqez, on 16 September 2022. The slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" (Jin, Jiyan, Azadî) is Kurdish in origin. Kurdish cities such as Saqqez, Sanandaj, Mahabad and Javanrud saw some of the heaviest crackdowns. Rights groups documented a disproportionate share of deaths and executions among Kurdish and Baluch protesters; Iranian authorities blamed "separatist groups" for the unrest.

Sources for the facts: CIA World Factbook (ethnic shares), Statistical Centre of Iran 2006 and 2016 censuses (provincial populations), Minority Rights Group, Iran Human Rights and Amnesty International (2022 protest documentation), Iraqi and Iranian government statements on the March 2023 security agreement. Current events are attributed to the reporting outlet.