Iran household economic and census data initiatives

The Iranian government has introduced new measures to categorize and track citizen data for national planning and economic management.

In mid-October, the Iranian Cabinet approved a directive to classify households into high, middle, and low economic categories. To implement this, agencies such as the Central Bank, the Tax Organization, and the ministries of energy and oil must share financial and social data. High-income classification is determined by specific thresholds, including residential land valued over 50 billion tomans, residential units exceeding 75 billion tomans, or vehicles valued over 7.5 billion tomans. Other criteria include being in the top 5% of energy consumers or stock market investors, being in the top 2.5% of bank loan recipients, or residing abroad for more than 182 days a year. Personnel from the armed forces, the Atomic Energy Organization, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are exempt.

Simultaneously, Iran has launched its 1405 (2026) national population and housing census using a registry-based hybrid model. Moving away from traditional door-to-door methods, the census leverages existing government data to minimize physical visits, with officials estimating that only approximately 5% of the population will require in-person interviews. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that accurate data is essential for “achieving social justice” and ensuring fair resource distribution in education, health, and housing. The census is being implemented across all provinces, with preliminary results anticipated in March.