Supreme Leader Calls for Proper Policies to Increase Iran Population
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei emphasized that maintaining and improving the country’s status as a major and influential power is directly linked to the population growth.
In a message issued on the occasion of National Population Day, the Leader responded to a letter of condolence and affection from population activists following the martyrdom of his father, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.“Among the valuable achievements of the third Sacred Defense and the great blessing of the nation’s unique uprising, which has become clear to everyone, is Iran’s emergence as a great and influential power,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.“Undoubtedly, the continuation of this situation and reaching a more desirable degree of it is directly related to the issue of population,” he added.The Supreme Leader stated that the need for population increase is sometimes viewed merely as a way to compensate for past policy shortcomings.Ayatollah Khamenei, however, stressed that there is a more important dimension.
Declining fertility rates, a record drop in births, and rising life expectancy are pushing Iran into a new demographic phase — one that experts describe as the beginning of an aging population era. Health officials warn that if current trends continue, Iran could face a sharp decline in its working-age population and a significant rise in the elderly population within the next two decades, a shift that may heavily affect the economy, labor market, and healthcare system.The country’s fertility rate, which stood at around 6.5 children per woman in the 1980s, has now fallen to 1.35. The figure remains well below the global replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, the minimum rate needed to maintain a stable population across generations.At the same time, birth rates continue to decline. Only 892,268 births were registered in Iran in 2025, marking the first time annual births have dropped below 900,000.The country’s death toll remains relatively high. Official figures show that more than 451,000 deaths were recorded in 2025. As a result, the gap between births and deaths — once exceeding half a million people annually — has narrowed considerably, intensifying concerns over slowing population growth.Experts say several economic and social factors have contributed to the decline in childbearing, including rising living and housing costs, delayed marriage, changing lifestyles, expanded higher education, and economic uncertainty.
“With the diligent pursuit of the correct and certain policy of population increase, the great Iranian nation will be able to experience great role-playing and strategic leaps in the future, and take long steps toward creating a new Islamic Iranian civilization,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.He said the late Supreme Leader placed a premium on the matter during meetings or correspondence with public and private audiences, and it remains one of the most important strategic matters of the Islamic establishment.The Leader praised grassroots activists in the field of population and urged them to continue their efforts.“The increasing efforts of popular activists in the field of population and the promotion of childbearing culture can have a significant impact on securing this bright future,” he wrote.
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