Iran is one of the regions that, despite its immense underground wealth and a climate and soil conducive to growth and progress, suffers from anti-people, plundering, and oppressive regime. Over the past four decades, the regime has only contributed to the increase in poverty and destitution across Iran. It has gone so far as to shamelessly publicize the miserable $2-a-day lives of the afflicted Iranian people.
The absolute poverty line refers to the minimum level of income required to meet the basic needs of an individual or household. These needs include food, safe drinking water, housing, primary education, and essential healthcare services.
Iranians Below the $2-a-Day Absolute Poverty Line
Over the past 40 years, the governments appointed and supported by the regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini and his successor Ali Khamenei have done everything they could to spread of poverty and inequality. They deceived the global community with fabricated statistics, charts, and false representations, while keeping the oppressed people at the bare minimum standard of living. Ultimately, a portion of the oil and gas revenues, akin to the leftovers of their lavish tables, was thrown to the destitute and even the declining middle class in the form of subsidies.
According to international standards, those living below the absolute poverty line (defined as $2 per day) are in “absolute poverty.” This population has steadily increased in Iran over the decades, but the ruling governments have consistently concealed the true figures through manipulated statistics.
“Studies show that the population below the absolute poverty line fluctuates in line with cash subsidies, but it doesn’t take long for inflation to nullify this effect. In general, in Iran, cash subsidies provide a temporary artificial relief to the population below the poverty line, but over time, inflation erodes this support, wrote the state-run Mardomsalari news website on August 13.
The same report states that the population below the absolute poverty line reached 659,000 people in 2020, the highest recorded figure since 2009. If we account for inflation and the continuous rise in the prices of essential goods, the population below the poverty line will reach millions. According to economist Morteza Afghah, more than 60 million people receiving livelihood assistance subsidies as evidence of the official poverty level in the country. Other government experts optimistically estimate the number at 30 million.
According to a report by ILNA news agency on June 17, 2023, “Last year, the Parliamentary Research Center of the regime reported that the poverty line rate has increased from 19% to over 30% over a decade. More than 30% of the population is below the poverty line and, based on very minimal criteria, are considered ‘poor.’ The Statistical Center of Iran also reports that 9.9 million people are suffering from absolute poverty.”
In simpler terms, nearly ten million people are unable to meet the most basic food and housing needs and cannot obtain the calories necessary for daily life. This means they live on less than $2 a day.
In 2022, the World Bank raised the global absolute poverty line based on purchasing power parity (PPP) to $2.15 per day. In other words, people whose daily expenses are less than $2.15 are living in absolute poverty and struggle to meet their basic needs. Based on this measure, the population below the absolute poverty line under the clerical regime’s rule would increase further.
Forty-Fold Increase in Food Prices Over 13 Years
Even if we disregard the regime’s manipulated statistics and only consider the prices of food items, the extent of the humanitarian disaster in Iran becomes evident.
Eco Iran reported on August 13, “According to the latest price index report from the Statistical Center of Iran, the price index for food and beverages has increased by more than 41 times compared to the early 2010s. The rate of increase in the price index for food and beverages was significantly higher than the overall price index. Among these, the group with the highest price increase was vegetables, which saw more than a 63-fold increase during this period. The smallest price increase was in the bread and cereals group, which increased by 26.5 times over this period.”
During this time, the most harm was inflicted on the low-income segment of society, the very people whom Khomeini and his successor called the “oppressed” and who were supposed to benefit from society’s resources.
Today, the poverty and deprivation of millions of Iranians are so evident that in every street and urban center, some people stand, crying out in protest and lamenting their oppression under the tyranny and corruption of the mullahs’ regime.