omposition by sector:
agriculture: 21%
industry : 37%
services: 42% (1994 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 23% (1996)

Labor force:
total: 15.4 million
by occupation: agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21% (1988 est.)
note: shortage of skilled labor; 1.38% of the population in the 15-64
age group is non-national (July 1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: over 30% (1995 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other
construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining
and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (1994 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 25.12 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 74.76 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,137 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets,
fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Exports:
total value : $21.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: petroleum 85%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides, iron, steel
partners: Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg,
Spain, and Germany

Imports:
total value: $13.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities : machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs,
pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
partners: Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, UAE, Russia, France

Debt - external: $30 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient : ODA, $40 million (1993)

Currency: 10 Iranian rials (IR) = 1 toman; note - domestic figures are
generally referred to in terms of the toman

Exchange rates: Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 1,755.12 (January 1997),
1,750.76 (1996), 1,747.93 (1995), 1,748.75 (1994), 1,267.77 (1993),
65.55 (1992); black market rate: 4,600 rials per US$1 (March 1997);
note - as of May 1995, the "official rate" of 1,750 rials per US$1 is
used for imports of essential goods and services and for oil exports,
whereas the "official export rate" of 3,000 rials per US$1 is used for
non-oil exports and imports not covered by the official rate

Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March

@Iran:Communications

Telephones: 3.02 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system
centered in Tehran
international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 In