According to official statistics published in the report of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare of the Islamic Republic, one third of the population lives below the poverty line. The ministry’s report speaks of rising inflation and declining welfare over the past decade.
The per capita poverty line in Iran in 1999 reached one million and 254 thousand Toman. The highest poverty rate is related to Sistan and Baluchestan and Kerman provinces. Accordingly, one-third of Iranians live below the “poverty line.” At the same time, the social welfare of the Iranian people has declined throughout the 1990s. The same official ministry report has announced that the poverty line for a family of four has reached 3 million and 385 thousand Toman.
Thus, according to an official report by the ministry, one-third of Iranians live below the poverty line when comparing household income data with living expenses. The number of people living below the poverty line in 1998 has reached more than 26 million. Although officials at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare have reported an increase in Iran’s poor population in 1999, no official statistics have been released to the media.
According to an official report published by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, point-to-point inflation of durable goods in March of last year was even about 84%. Unofficial reports say that the level of inflation in Iran is higher than the statistics announced by the leaders of the Islamic regime in Iran. Rising housing prices as well as food are said to play the biggest role in reducing the social welfare of the Iranian people at this time.
