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Iranian diaspora

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Iranian diaspora
Map of the Iranian diaspora as of 2021
Total population
4,037,258 (including partial Iranian ancestry) (2021)[1][2]
Americas1,905,813 (47.20%)
Europe1,184,552 (29.34%)
Other (Asia and Oceania)1,115,572 (23.46%)
Languages
Persian and Languages of Iran
Religion

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]

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]

Statistics by country

[edit]
Map of the Iranian diaspora as of 2021
  Iran
  + 1,000,000
  + 100,000
  + 10,000
  + 1,000
Popularity change of countries among Iranian Immigrants (2016–2021)[citation needed]
List of countries and territories by Iranian population
Country Iranian diaspora in 2021 Article
 United States 400,000 - 620,000 Iranian American
 Canada Increase 400,000 (2021)[citation needed] Iranian Canadian
 Germany Increase 266,000 (2023)[11][citation needed] Iranians in Germany
 United Arab Emirates UAE Increase 357,000 (2021)[citation needed] Iranians in the United Arab Emirates
 France Increase 118,300 (2023)[12][13] Iranians in France
 United Kingdom Increase 114,300[14] (2021) Iranians in the United Kingdom
 Israel 250,000 Iranian Jews in Israel
 Sweden Increase 126,700 (2023)[citation needed] Swedish Iranians
 Turkey Increase 126,640 (2021)[citation needed] Immigration to Turkey
 Australia Increase 126,500 (2021)[15] Iranian Australians
 Iraq Decrease 110,920 (2021) Iranians in Iraq
 Netherlands Increase 52,000 (2021) Iranians in the Netherlands
 Austria Steady 40,000 (2021) Iranians in Austria
 Kuwait Steady 400,000 (citizens of Iranian descent)[16]
Decrease 38,000 (non-Kuwaiti, 2021) 		'Ajam of Kuwait
 Denmark Steady 32,700 (2021) Iranians in Denmark
 Malaysia Decrease 30,000 (2021) Iranians in Malaysia
 Norway Decrease 20,000 (2021) Norwegian Iranians
  Switzerland Increase 20,000 (2021) Demographics of Switzerland
 Belgium Decrease 20,000 (2021) Iranians in Belgium
 Qatar Decrease 20,000 (2021) Iranians in Qatar
 Italy Increase 19,887 (2022)[17] Iranians in Italy
 Georgia Increase 16,500 (2021) Iranians in Georgia
 India Decrease 12,760 (2021) Demographics of India
 New Zealand Increase 12,000 (2021) Iranian New Zealander
 Spain Decrease 12,000 (2021) Iranians in Spain
 Finland Increase 10,129 (2021)[18] Iranians in Finland
 Azerbaijan Decrease 10,000 (2021) Iranians in Azerbaijan
 Armenia Decrease 10,000 (2021) Iranians in Armenia
 Syria Decrease 10,000 (2021) Iranians in Syria
 Oman Decrease 9,500 (2021) Omani Iranians
 Tajikistan Increase 8,000 (2019) Iranians in Tajikistan
 China Decrease 7,780 (2021) Iranians in China
 Lebanon Decrease 5,000 (2021) Iranians in Lebanon
 Thailand Steady 5,000 (2021) Iranians in Thailand
 Cyprus Increase 5,000 (2021) Iranians in Cyprus
 South Africa Steady 5,000 (2021) Iranians in South Africa
 Japan Decrease 4,237 (2022)[19] Iranians in Japan
 Ukraine Decrease 4,200 (2021) Iranians in Ukraine
 Hungary Decrease 4,111 (2021) Iranians in Hungary
 Pakistan Decrease 3,950 (2021) Iranian Pakistanis
 Afghanistan Decrease 3,800 (2021) Iranian Afghans
 Romania Decrease 3,500 (2021) Iranians in Romania
 Kazakhstan Decrease 3,000 (2021) Iranians in Kazakhstan
 Greece Steady 2,500 (2021) Demographics of Greece
 Russia Decrease 2,434 (2021)[20] Iranians in Russia
 Brazil Increase 2,208 (2024)[21] Iranian Brazilians
 Argentina Steady 2,000 (2021) Iranian Argentines
 Poland Decrease 2,000 (2021) Iranians in Poland
 Portugal Increase 1,797 (2021)[22] Iranians in Portugal
 South Korea Decrease 1,770 (2021) Iranians in South Korea
 Philippines Increase 1,500 (2021) Iranians in the Philippines
 Slovak Republic Decrease 1,140 (2021) Iranians in Slovakia
 Tajikistan Increase 1,000 (2021) Iranians in Tajikistan
 Tanzania Steady 1,000 (2021) Iranian Tanzanians
 Ireland Increase 1,000 (2021) Iranians in Ireland
 Czech Republic Decrease 1,000 (2021) Iranians in the Czech Republic
 Mexico Steady 500 (2021) Iranian Mexicans
 Bulgaria Decrease 500 (2021) Iranians in Bulgaria
 Egypt Decrease 500 (2021) Iranians in Egypt
 Kyrgyzstan Decrease 500 (2021) Iranians in Kyrgyzstan
 Estonia Increase 426 (2021) Iranians in Estonia
 Hong Kong Increase 410 (2021) Iranians in Hong Kong
 Venezuela Steady 400 (2021) Iranians in Venezuela
 Indonesia Decrease 400 (2021) Iranians in Indonesia
 Colombia Steady 350 (2021) Iranian Colombians
 Chile Steady 300 (2021) Iranian Chileans
 Belarus Decrease 227 (2021) Iranians in Belarus
 Sudan Steady 225 (2021) Iranians in Sudan
 Singapore Steady 200 (2021) Iranians in Singapore
 Serbia Decrease 171 (2021) Iranians in Serbia
 Bolivia Steady 150 (2021) Iranian Bolivians
 Slovenia Decrease 125 (2021) Iranians in Slovenia
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Decrease 110 (2021) Iranians in Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Jordan Steady 100 (2021) Iranians in Jordan
 Kenya Steady 70 (2021) Iranians in Kenya
 Ghana Steady 70 (2021) Ghanaian Iranians
 Uruguay Steady 70 (2021) Iranian Uruguayans
 Ivory Coast Steady 65 (2021) Iranian Ivorians
 Croatia Decrease 60 (2021) Iranians in Croatia
 Turkmenistan Decrease 54 (2021) Iranians in Turkmenistan
 Uganda Steady 50 (2021) Iranians in Uganda
 Tunisia Steady 47 (2021) Iranians in Tunisia
 Senegal Steady 47 (2021) Iranians in Senegal
 Bangladesh Decrease 44 (2021) Iranians in Bangladesh
 Mauritius Steady 41 (2021) Iranians in Mauritius
 Vietnam Steady 40 (2021) Iranians in Vietnam
 Nicaragua Steady 40 (2021) Iranian Nicaraguans
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Steady 23 (2021) Iranians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 Brunei Steady 21 (2021) Iranians in Brunei
 Algeria Steady 20 (2021) Iranians in Algeria
 Gambia Steady 17 (2021) Iranians in Gambia
 Niger Steady 15 (2021) Iranians in Niger
 Nigeria Steady 15 (2021) Iranian Nigerians
 Ethiopia Steady 12 (2021) Iranians in Ethiopia
 Madagascar Steady 12 (2021) Iranians in Madagascar
 Albania Decrease 12 (2021) Iranians in Albania
 North Macedonia Decrease 11 (2021) Iranians in North Macedonia
 Cameroon Steady 10 (2021) Iranian Cameroonians
 Guinea Steady 10 (2021) Iranians in Guinea
 Namibia Steady 10 (2021) Iranian Namibians
 Burkina Faso Steady 6 (2021) Iranians in Burkina Faso
 Cuba Decrease 3 (2021) Iranian Cubans
 Mali Steady 2 (2021) Mali Iranians
 North Korea Steady 1 (2021) Iranians in North Korea
 Saudi Arabia Steady 1 (2023) Iranians in Saudi Arabia
West Asia and Other Increase 2,433,000 (60,26%) (2021) Anglosphere
North, Central and South America Increase 1,905,813 (47,20%) (2021) Americas
Europe Increase 1,184,552 (29,34%) (2021) Europe
Total: Increase 4,037,258 (2021)[23] List of sovereign states and

dependent territories

by immigrant population

Socioeconomic status

[edit]

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.[24]

Students abroad

[edit]
See also: Higher education in Iran and Iran's brain drain

According to the Iranian government, 55,686 Iranian students were studying abroad in 2013:[25] 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.[26][27] The Iranian Ministry of Education estimated that between 350,000 and 500,000 Iranians were studying outside Iran as of 2014.[28]

Politics

[edit]

Economics

[edit]
See also: Foreign direct investment in Iran

In 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).[29] Migrant Iranian workers abroad remitted less than two billion dollars home in 2006.[30]

High net-worth individuals

[edit]
See also: Social class in Iran and List of Iranians by net worth
National ranking Name Citizenship Net worth (USD) Source(s) of wealth
1 Pierre Omidyar
 Iran USA France
 12.9 billion [31] eBay
2 Ghermezian family
 Iran CAN
 4.0 billion [32] Triple Five Group
3 Farhad Moshiri
 Iran UK
 2.8 billion [33] Metalloinvest, Everton
4 Nazarian family
 Iran USA
 2.0 billion [34] Qualcomm
5 Vincent & Robert Tchenguiz
 Iran UK
 1.4 billion [35][36] Real Estate
6 Manny Mashouf
 Iran USA
 1.3 billion [37] Bebe stores
7 Merage family
 Iran USA
 1.1 billion [38] Hot Pockets
8 Nasser David Khalili
 Iran UK
 1.0 billion [39] Real Estate
9 Hassan Khosrowshahi
 Iran CAN
 950 million [40] Future Shop
10 Omid Kordestani
 Iran USA
 900 million [41] Google
11 Anousheh Ansari
 Iran USA
 750 million [42] Sonus Networks
12 Isaac Larian
 Iran USA
 723 million [41] MGA Entertainment
13 Arash Ferdowsi
 Iran USA
 400 million [43] Dropbox

Expatriate fund

[edit]
See also: Privatization in Iran § Iranian expatriates role, and Tehran Stock Exchange § Foreign portfolio investment

The fund's stated goal is to attract investment from Iranian expatriates and to use their experience in stimulating foreign investments.[44]

Religious affiliation

[edit]
See also: Religion in Iran and Irreligion in Iran

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.[45] Most expatriate Iranians consider themselves to be irreligious, agnostic, or atheist.[46][47][48]

Notes

[edit]

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),[49] New York (17,323),[49] Texas (15,581),[49] Virginia (10,889),[49] and Maryland (9,733).[49] The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area was estimated to be host to approximately 114,712 Iranian immigrants,[49] 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][50]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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Sources

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