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People of Iranian ancestry outside Iran From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Iranian diaspora (collectively known as Iranian expats or expatriates) is the global population of Iranian citizens or people of Iranian descent living outside Iran.[3]
 | This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. (July 2021) |
Map of the Iranian diaspora as of 2021 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 4,037,258 (including partial Iranian ancestry) (2021)[1][2] | |
| Americas | 1,905,813 (47.20%) |
| Europe | 1,184,552 (29.34%) |
| Other (Asia and Oceania) | 1,115,572 (23.46%) |
| Languages | |
| Persian and Languages of Iran | |
| Religion | |
| |
In 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran published statistics which showed that 2 to 4,037,258 Iranians are living abroad, an increase from previous years.Though many of these people are of Iranian ancestry in UAE, Kuwait, Israel, Turkey and Bahrain, not necessarily recent migrants but people who moved out hundreds of years ago or at least prior to the revolution. These numbers also include half and people with only partial ancestry as well. [1][2] Over one million of these people and their extended families live in the United States, with anywhere between 100k-500k living in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Further populations exist in numerous other regions, including many European nations, China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, along with several other Middle Eastern and Levantine nations.[4][5] Many of these individuals relocated to other countries following the Iranian Revolution of 1979.[6][7]
Iran has experienced waves of emigration since 1979. The creation of a ministry of immigration has been proposed, after reports indicated critical statistics, largely due to political instability.[8][9][10]
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| Country | Iranian diaspora in 2021 | Article |
|---|---|---|
 United States |
 1,500,000 (2021)[citation needed] |
Iranian American |
 Canada |
400,000 (2021)[citation needed] |
Iranian Canadian |
 Germany |
266,000 (2023)[11][citation needed] |
Iranians in Germany |
 United Arab Emirates UAE |
357,000 (2021)[citation needed] |
Iranians in the United Arab Emirates |
 United Kingdom |
114,300[12] (2021) |
Iranians in the United Kingdom |
 Israel |
250,000 | Iranian Jews in Israel |
 Sweden |
126,700 (2023)[citation needed] |
Swedish Iranians |
 Turkey |
126,640 (2021)[citation needed] |
Immigration to Turkey |
 Australia |
126,500 (2021)[13] |
Iranian Australians |
 Iraq |
 110,920 (2021) |
Iranians in Iraq |
 France |
90,000 (2021)[citation needed] |
Iranians in France |
 Netherlands |
52,000 (2021) |
Iranians in the Netherlands |
 Austria |
 40,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Austria |
 Kuwait |
400,000 (citizens of Iranian descent)[14] 38,000 (non-Kuwaiti, 2021) |
'Ajam of Kuwait |
 Denmark |
32,700 (2021) |
Iranians in Denmark |
 Malaysia |
30,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Malaysia |
 Norway |
20,000 (2021) |
Norwegian Iranians |
 Switzerland |
20,000 (2021) |
Demographics of Switzerland |
 Belgium |
20,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Belgium |
 Qatar |
20,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Qatar |
 Georgia |
16,500 (2021) |
Iranians in Georgia |
 Italy |
14,009 (2022)[15] |
Iranians in Italy |
 India |
12,760 (2021) |
Demographics of India |
 New Zealand |
12,000 (2021) |
Iranian New Zealander |
 Spain |
12,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Spain |
 Finland |
10,129 (2021)[16] |
Iranians in Finland |
 Azerbaijan |
10,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Azerbaijan |
 Armenia |
10,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Armenia |
 Syria |
10,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Syria |
 Oman |
9,500 (2021) |
Omani Iranians |
 Tajikistan |
8,000 (2019) |
Iranians in Tajikistan |
 China |
7,780 (2021) |
Iranians in China |
 Lebanon |
5,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Lebanon |
 Thailand |
5,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Thailand |
 Cyprus |
5,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Cyprus |
 South Africa |
5,000 (2021) |
Iranians in South Africa |
 Japan |
4,237 (2022)[17] |
Iranians in Japan |
 Ukraine |
4,200 (2021) |
Iranians in Ukraine |
 Hungary |
4,111 (2021) |
Iranians in Hungary |
 Pakistan |
3,950 (2021) |
Iranian Pakistanis |
 Afghanistan |
3,800 (2021) |
Iranian Afghans |
 Romania |
3,500 (2021) |
Iranians in Romania |
 Kazakhstan |
3,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Kazakhstan |
 Greece |
2,500 (2021) |
Demographics of Greece |
 Russia |
2,434 (2021)[18] |
Iranians in Russia |
 Brazil |
2,208 (2024)[19] |
Iranian Brazilians |
 Argentina |
2,000 (2021) |
Iranian Argentines |
 Poland |
2,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Poland |
 Portugal |
1,797 (2021)[20] |
Iranians in Portugal |
 South Korea |
1,770 (2021) |
Iranians in South Korea |
 Philippines |
1,500 (2021) |
Iranians in the Philippines |
 Slovak Republic |
1,140 (2021) |
Iranians in Slovakia |
| Tajikistan |
1,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Tajikistan |
 Tanzania |
1,000 (2021) |
Iranian Tanzanians |
 Ireland |
1,000 (2021) |
Iranians in Ireland |
 Czech Republic |
1,000 (2021) |
Iranians in the Czech Republic |
 Mexico |
500 (2021) |
Iranian Mexicans |
 Bulgaria |
500 (2021) |
Iranians in Bulgaria |
 Egypt |
500 (2021) |
Iranians in Egypt |
 Kyrgyzstan |
500 (2021) |
Iranians in Kyrgyzstan |
 Estonia |
426 (2021) |
Iranians in Estonia |
 Hong Kong |
410 (2021) |
Iranians in Hong Kong |
 Venezuela |
400 (2021) |
Iranians in Venezuela |
 Indonesia |
400 (2021) |
Iranians in Indonesia |
 Colombia |
350 (2021) |
Iranian Colombians |
 Chile |
300 (2021) |
Iranian Chileans |
 Belarus |
227 (2021) |
Iranians in Belarus |
 Sudan |
225 (2021) |
Iranians in Sudan |
 Singapore |
200 (2021) |
Iranians in Singapore |
 Serbia |
171 (2021) |
Iranians in Serbia |
 Bolivia |
150 (2021) |
Iranian Bolivians |
 Slovenia |
125 (2021) |
Iranians in Slovenia |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
110 (2021) |
Iranians in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
 Jordan |
100 (2021) |
Iranians in Jordan |
 Kenya |
70 (2021) |
Iranians in Kenya |
 Ghana |
70 (2021) |
Ghanaian Iranians |
 Uruguay |
70 (2021) |
Iranian Uruguayans |
 Ivory Coast |
65 (2021) |
Iranian Ivorians |
 Croatia |
60 (2021) |
Iranians in Croatia |
 Turkmenistan |
54 (2021) |
Iranians in Turkmenistan |
 Uganda |
50 (2021) |
Iranians in Uganda |
 Tunisia |
47 (2021) |
Iranians in Tunisia |
 Senegal |
47 (2021) |
Iranians in Senegal |
 Bangladesh |
44 (2021) |
Iranians in Bangladesh |
 Mauritius |
41 (2021) |
Iranians in Mauritius |
 Vietnam |
40 (2021) |
Iranians in Vietnam |
 Nicaragua |
40 (2021) |
Iranian Nicaraguans |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
23 (2021) |
Iranians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
 Brunei |
21 (2021) |
Iranians in Brunei |
 Algeria |
20 (2021) |
Iranians in Algeria |
 Gambia |
17 (2021) |
Iranians in Gambia |
 Niger |
15 (2021) |
Iranians in Niger |
 Nigeria |
15 (2021) |
Iranian Nigerians |
 Ethiopia |
12 (2021) |
Iranians in Ethiopia |
 Madagascar |
12 (2021) |
Iranians in Madagascar |
 Albania |
12 (2021) |
Iranians in Albania |
 North Macedonia |
11 (2021) |
Iranians in North Macedonia |
 Cameroon |
10 (2021) |
Iranian Cameroonians |
 Guinea |
10 (2021) |
Iranians in Guinea |
 Namibia |
10 (2021) |
Iranian Namibians |
 Burkina Faso |
6 (2021) |
Iranians in Burkina Faso |
 Cuba |
3 (2021) |
Iranian Cubans |
 Mali |
2 (2021) |
Mali Iranians |
 North Korea |
1 (2021) |
Iranians in North Korea |
 Saudi Arabia |
1 (2023) |
Iranians in Saudi Arabia |
 Sri Lanka |
0 (2021) |
Iranians in Sri Lanka |
| West Asia and Other | 2,433,000 (60,26%) (2021) |
Anglosphere |
| North, Central and South America | 1,905,813 (47,20%) (2021) |
Americas |
| Europe | 1,184,552 (29,34%) (2021) |
Europe |
| Total: | 4,037,258 (2021)[21] |
List of sovereign states and |
Nearly 60 percent of Iranians abroad have earned at least an undergraduate degree, and have one of the highest rates of self-employment among immigrant groups. Many have founded their own companies, including Isaac Larian, the founder of MGA Entertainment, and Pierre Omidyar, who founded eBay in 1995 in San Jose, California. Iranian households in the United States earn on average $87,288 annually in 2018, and are ranked ninth by income.[22]
According to the Iranian government, 55,686 Iranian students were studying abroad in 2013:[23] 8,883 studied in Malaysia, 7,341 in the United States, 5,638 in Canada, 3,504 in Germany, 3,364 in Turkey, 3,228 in Britain, and the rest in other countries.[24][25] The Iranian Ministry of Education estimated that between 350,000 and 500,000 Iranians were studying outside Iran as of 2014.[26]
Armenia Hrant Markarian, Chairman of Armenian Revolutionary Federation Australia Sam Dastyari, Senator United Kingdom Seema Kennedy, Member of the House of Commons United Kingdom Haleh Afshar, Member of the House of Lords United Kingdom David Alliance, Member of the House of Lords Canada
Quebec Amir Khadir, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec Canada
Ontario Reza Moridi, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Canada Majid Jowhari, Member of the Parliament of Canada Canada Ali Ehsassi, Member of the Parliament of Canada France Pouria Amirshahi, Former Member of the French National Assembly France Mahmoud Khayami, founder of Iran Khodro France Pierre Omidyar, investigative journalist for Honolulu Civil Beat and First Look Media, also founder of eBay France Patrick Ali Pahlavi, member of the Pahlavi dynasty Germany Yasmin Fahimi, general secretary of the Social Democratic Party Germany Sahra Wagenknecht, Member of the Bundestag and deputy chairperson of the Left Party Germany Omid Nouripour, Member of the Bundestag, (Alliance '90/The Greens) Israel Moshe Katsav, President of Israel Israel Dan Halutz, Chief of General Staff Israel Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Defense New Zealand Golriz Ghahraman, Member of New Zealand Parliament from the 52nd New Zealand Parliament part of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand NED Farah Karimi, Member of the House of Representatives Norway Mazyar Keshvari, Member of the Storting Sweden Ardalan Shekarabi, Minister for Public Administration Sweden Maryam Yazdanfar, Member of the Riksdag Sweden Reza Khelili Dylami, Member of the Riksdag Sweden Alireza Akhondi, Member of the Riksdag USA Goli Ameri, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs USA Cyrus Amir-Mokri, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions USA
Washington Cyrus Habib, Member of the Washington House of Representatives USA Azita Raji, United States Ambassador to Sweden USA Bob Yousefian, Mayor of Glendale USA Jimmy Delshad, Mayor Kuwait Ahmed Lari, Member of National Assembly of Kuwait Kuwait Hassan Jawhar, Member of National Assembly of Kuwait Kuwait Jenan Boushehri, Member of National Assembly of KuwaitIn 2000, the Iran Press Service reported that Iranian expatriates had invested between $200 and $400 billion in the United States, Europe, and China, but almost nothing in Iran.[5] In Dubai, Iranian expatriates have invested an estimated $200 billion (2006).[27] Migrant Iranian workers abroad remitted less than two billion dollars home in 2006.[28]
| National ranking | Name | Citizenship | Net worth (USD) | Source(s) of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre Omidyar | 12.9 billion [29] | eBay | |
| 2 | Ghermezian family | 4.0 billion [30] | Triple Five Group | |
| 3 | Farhad Moshiri | 2.8 billion [31] | Metalloinvest, Everton | |
| 4 | Nazarian family | 2.0 billion [32] | Qualcomm | |
| 5 | Vincent & Robert Tchenguiz | 1.4 billion [33][34] | Real Estate | |
| 6 | Manny Mashouf | 1.3 billion [35] | Bebe stores | |
| 7 | Merage family | 1.1 billion [36] | Hot Pockets | |
| 8 | Nasser David Khalili | 1.0 billion [37] | Real Estate | |
| 9 | Hassan Khosrowshahi | 950 million [38] | Future Shop | |
| 10 | Omid Kordestani | 900 million [39] | ||
| 11 | Anousheh Ansari | 750 million [40] | Sonus Networks | |
| 12 | Isaac Larian | 723 million [39] | MGA Entertainment | |
| 13 | Arash Ferdowsi | 400 million [41] | Dropbox |
The fund's stated goal is to attract investment from Iranian expatriates and to use their experience in stimulating foreign investments.[42]
The Iranian diaspora has been commonly defined as a largely people from upper-middle classes, secular and as not Muslims at all; the majority of them do not take fundamental Islamic rituals, such as daily prayers or fasting, and having largely embraced Western secularism.[43] Most expatriate Iranians consider themselves to be irreligious, agnostic, or atheist.[44][45][46]
In the period between 1961 and 2005, the United States became the main destination of Iranian emigrants. An estimated 378,995 Iranians have immigrated to the United States in that period, where Iranian immigrants have primarily immigrated to California (158,613 Iran-born in 2000),[47] New York (17,323),[47] Texas (15,581),[47] Virginia (10,889),[47] and Maryland (9,733).[47] The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area was estimated to be host to approximately 114,712 Iranian immigrants,[47] earning the Westwood area of Los Angeles the nickname Tehrangeles.
The US Census Bureau's decennial census form does not offer a designation for individuals of Iranian descent, and therefore it is estimated that only a fraction of the total number of Iranians are writing in their ancestry. The 2000 Census Bureau estimates that the Iranian American community (including the US-born children of the Iranian foreign born) numbers around 330,000. Studies using alternative statistical methods have estimated the actual number of Iranian Americans in the range of 691,000 to 1.2 million.[5][48]
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