Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran
Iran: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? was 8.96 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
8.96 million tonnes
Change on year
down 51.1%
World rank
24th
of 192 countries
All-time high
18.32 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
4,000 tonnes
in 1969
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Iran recorded 8.96 million tonnes for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in 2023.
That represents a change of down 51.1% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran peaked at 18.32 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4,000 tonnes, in 1969.
Iran ranks 24th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 204,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 170,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1963 | 180,000 tonnes | +5.9% |
| 1964 | 175,000 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1965 | 577,000 tonnes | +229.7% |
| 1966 | 198,000 tonnes | -65.7% |
| 1967 | 85,000 tonnes | -57.1% |
| 1968 | 633,000 tonnes | +644.7% |
| 1969 | 4,000 tonnes | -99.4% |
| 1970 | 43,000 tonnes | +975.0% |
| 1971 | 1.32 million tonnes | +2969.8% |
| 1972 | 969,000 tonnes | -26.6% |
| 1973 | 1.04 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1974 | 2.10 million tonnes | +101.6% |
| 1975 | 2.13 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 1.29 million tonnes | -39.6% |
| 1977 | 2.72 million tonnes | +110.6% |
| 1978 | 1.96 million tonnes | -27.9% |
| 1979 | 1.91 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1980 | 2.72 million tonnes | +42.1% |
| 1981 | 3.48 million tonnes | +27.8% |
| 1982 | 3.46 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 4.38 million tonnes | +26.8% |
| 1984 | 4.59 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 4.14 million tonnes | -9.9% |
| 1986 | 3.47 million tonnes | -16.1% |
| 1987 | 4.99 million tonnes | +43.9% |
| 1988 | 3.17 million tonnes | -36.4% |
| 1989 | 7.82 million tonnes | +146.3% |
| 1990 | 5.42 million tonnes | -30.6% |
| 1991 | 5.58 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 4.51 million tonnes | -19.2% |
| 1993 | 4.49 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 4.19 million tonnes | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 6.12 million tonnes | +46.1% |
| 1996 | 6.60 million tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1997 | 8.60 million tonnes | +30.4% |
| 1998 | 5.08 million tonnes | -41.0% |
| 1999 | 8.30 million tonnes | +63.5% |
| 2000 | 9.74 million tonnes | +17.4% |
| 2001 | 9.72 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 6.60 million tonnes | -32.1% |
| 2003 | 5.26 million tonnes | -20.4% |
| 2004 | 4.04 million tonnes | -23.1% |
| 2005 | 4.69 million tonnes | +16.0% |
| 2006 | 5.29 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2007 | 4.44 million tonnes | -15.9% |
| 2008 | 9.04 million tonnes | +103.6% |
| 2009 | 11.26 million tonnes | +24.5% |
| 2010 | 10.66 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 6.93 million tonnes | -35.0% |
| 2012 | 13.69 million tonnes | +97.6% |
| 2013 | 13.08 million tonnes | -4.4% |
| 2014 | 17.88 million tonnes | +36.7% |
| 2015 | 12.52 million tonnes | -30.0% |
| 2016 | 11.09 million tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2017 | 12.50 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2018 | 14.62 million tonnes | +16.9% |
| 2019 | 13.38 million tonnes | -8.5% |
| 2020 | 16.84 million tonnes | +25.8% |
| 2021 | 10.64 million tonnes | -36.8% |
| 2022 | 18.32 million tonnes | +72.2% |
| 2023 | 8.96 million tonnes | -51.1% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 8.96 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 861,000 tonnes, 10.4× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iran's 8.96 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.63 million tonnes, 2.5× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +2969.8% | 43,000 tonnes | 1.32 million tonnes |
| 1970 | +975.0% | 4,000 tonnes | 43,000 tonnes |
| 1968 | +644.7% | 85,000 tonnes | 633,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 247,333 tonnes | 4,000 tonnes | 633,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.55 million tonnes | 43,000 tonnes | 2.72 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.22 million tonnes | 2.72 million tonnes | 7.82 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.89 million tonnes | 4.19 million tonnes | 8.60 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.01 million tonnes | 4.04 million tonnes | 11.26 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.63 million tonnes | 6.93 million tonnes | 17.88 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.69 million tonnes | 8.96 million tonnes | 18.32 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More agriculture & rural data for Iran
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -25.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1059 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 415.77 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6359 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.2262 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 10.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 10.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2022)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 3.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran?
- Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Iran was 8.96 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 18.32 million tonnes in 2022.
- What is the lowest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,000 tonnes in 1969.
- How does Iran rank for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- Iran ranks 24th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Imports and exports are measured as the net sum of all cereal crop varieties. Countries which lie above the grey line are net importers of cereals; those below the line are net exporters.