<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Iran<nl>Economy</hdr><body>
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<item><hi format=bold>Overview:</hi> Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. Over the past several years, the government has introduced several measures to liberalize the economy and reduce government intervention, but most of these changes have moved slowly because of political opposition. Iran has faced increasingly severe financial difficulties in 1992-93 due to an import surge since 1989 and general financial mismanagement. At yearend 1993 the Iranian Government estimated that it owed foreign creditors about $30 billion; an estimated $8 billion of this debt was in arrears. Earnings from oil exports—which provide over 90% of Iran's export revenues—are providing less relief to Iran than usual because of declining oil prices. Estimated overall growth was a robust 6.3% in 1992 and a moderate 3% in 1993.
<item><hi format=bold>National product:</hi> GNP—purchasing power equivalent—$303 billion (1993 est.)
<item><hi format=bold>National product real growth rate:</hi> 3% (1993 est.)
<item><hi format=bold>National product per capita:</hi> $4,780 (1993 est.)
<item>• <hi format=ital>consumption per capita:</hi> 710 kWh (1992)
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<item><hi format=bold>Industries:</hi> petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other building materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating
<item><hi format=bold>Agriculture:</hi> accounts for about 20% of GDP; principal products—wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not self-sufficient in food
<item><hi format=bold>Illicit drugs:</hi> illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade; net opiate importer but also a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe
<item><hi format=bold>Economic aid:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>recipient:</hi> US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.675 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> aid fell sharply following the 1979 revolution
<item><hi format=bold>Exchange rates:</hi> Iranian rials (IR) per US$1—1,748.86 (January 1994), 1,267.77 (1993), 65.552 (1992), 67.505 (1991); note—in March 1993 the Iranian government announced a new single-parity exchange rate system with a new official rate of 1,538 rials per dollar; there is also a black market rate of 2200 rials per US$1 (December 1993)
<item><hi format=bold>Fiscal year:</hi> 21 March–20 March