Economic advantages of Iran

• The 18h largest economy in the world by purchasing power parity (PPP)
• Consumption and the government plans billions of dollar worth of further investment to increase this share.
• The diversified economy and broad industrial base with over 40 industries directly involved in the Tehran stock Exchange
• Resource-rich economy
• Labor-rich economy
• Young and educated population
• Large domestic market
• The Middle East market is a prime market opportunity for Iran’s non-oil exports
• An increasingly sophisticated infrastructure and human capital base providing the foundation for an emerging knowledge based economy.

Iran at a Glance

Official name	Islamic Republic of Iran
Head of State	President H.E. Dr. Hassan Rouhani
National Day	11th of February (Islamic Revolution of Iran-1979)
Capital	Tehran
Area	1,648,196 sq. km
Land boundaries	4,137 km
Sea boundaries	2,700 km (Including the Caspian Sea)
River boundaries	1,918 km
Border countries	Afghanistan, Azerbaijan (Nakhichevan), Armenia, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan
Climate	Mostly arid or semi-arid, temperate along Caspian coast and mountainous temperate along west and north-west.
Natural resources	Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Land use (1998):
Arable land	300,000 sq. Km 18.2%
Meadows and pastures	900,000 sq. Km 54.6%
Forest and woodland	120,000 sq. Km 7.3%
Other	258,000 sq. Km 15.7%
Irrigated land	70,000 sq. Km 4.2%
Agricultural products	Wheat, rice, barley, potato, grains, sugar-beet, cotton, fresh & dried fruits, dates, pistachio, fruits, nuts, poultry, meat, dairy products, wool; caviar, flowers and medicinal plants.
Population	79.109.272 million (2015)
Religions	Muslim 99.56% Zoroastrian, Christian & Jewish 0.44%
Languages	Persian and Persian dialects, Azeri, Kurdish, Lori, Baloochi, Arabic
Literacy (2011)	Total 84.2%
Currency	Rial (IRR)
GDP	425.3 billion US$ (2015)
GDP per capita	5516 US$ (2015)
GDP growth rate	4.3 % (2015)
Total Imports	41.800 million US $ (2015)
Total Exports	63.100 million US $ (2015)
Foreign Direct Investment	2.050 million US $ (2015)
Industries	Oil and gas, steel, aluminum, copper, electric and electronic equipment, cement & other building materials, metallurgy, home appliances, iron, textile, rugs and carpets, tapestry, miniature, ceramic, food processing (particularly sugar refining & vegetable oil production), petrochemicals, and car manufacturing & assemblies
Electricity	Production: 329.7 bilion kwh (2015)
Transportation:
Railways networks	8.442 km – Rank 24 (2015) in the world
Road networks	198.866km – Rank 26(2015) in the world
Ports	11 commercial ports
Airports	54

Supportive Government Policies for Foreign Investors

The Law on foreign investment in Iran under the name of “Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act” (FIPPA) was ratified by the parliament in 2002.Some specific enhancements introduced by FIPPA for foreign investment in Iran can be outlined as follows:
1. Broader fields for involvement by foreign investors including in major infrastructure,
2. Broader definition given to foreign investment, covering all types of investments from FDI to different types of project financing methods including :Civil Participation, Buy –Back arrangements, Counter trade and various BOT schemes;
3. Streamlined and fast track investment licensing application and approval process;
4. Creation of a one stop shop called the “Center for foreign investment Services” at the organization for investment for focused and efficient support for foreign investment undertaking in Iran,
5. More flexibility and facilitated regulatory practices for the access of foreign investors to foreign exchange for capital transfer purpose

Download the “law and Implementing Regulations Concerning Promotion and Protection of Foreign Investment”